OCTA's David: Rise in COVID-19 cases 'very possible' when schools reopen

COVID-19 cases in the country may continue to increase once schools resume in-person classes, OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David said Tuesday.

David, however, said he is not suggesting prohibiting children from returning to schools.

He added that children infected with COVID-19 are usually asymptomatic or only show mild symptoms.

“We have to set expectations talaga na it’s very possible na magkakaroon ng pagtaas ng bilang ng kaso kapag nagbalik sa eskwelahan ang mga bata,” David said in an Unang Balita interview.

“Hindi naman natin sinasabi na ‘wag natin [sila] ibalik sa eskwelahan kasi more than two years na nakakulong sila. Affected ‘yung ating quality of education at ‘yung schooling ng mga bata, ‘yung social life nila so, kailangan ibalik natin,” he added.

(We really have to set expectations that it's very possible that there will be an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases when the children go back to school. However, we are not saying that we should not send them back to school because they have been stuck at home for more than two years now. The quality of their education and their social lives have been affected, so we have to send them back to school.)

To mitigate COVID-19 transmission in schools, David said protocols air ventilation and physical distancing should be set in place. He also stressed the need for teachers and other school personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

'Risk is always there'

In response to David's concerns, Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that there will always be risk of transmission of COVID-19 in crowded places, but people do not need to be afraid as long as the minimum public health standards are adhered to.

“As long as people congregate, the possibility of getting infections will always be there. Pero ang dapat lagi nating isipin [we should always think that] even if the factors are there, we can mitigate or remove these factors by doing our safety protocols,” she said in a press conference.

“The risk will always be there. Hindi kailangan na lagi tayong natatakot. Hindi natin kailangan na lagi nating tatakutin ang ating mga kababayan [we should not always be afraid and instill fear in our countrymen],” she added.

Once face-to-face classes resume, Vergeire said that students should be reminded by teachers and non-teaching personnel of measures against the coronavirus.

She also underscored the importance of safety officers in schools to regularly monitor the situation and identify those who are showing COVID-19 symptoms.

GMA News Online has also sought comment from the Department of Education.

Vaccinations

School Year 2022-2023 is set to open on August 22 and will end on July 7, 2023.

The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier said it is coordinating with the DOH to roll out a mobile COVID-19 vaccination and organize counseling sessions among unvaccinated learners in schools.

Meanwhile, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte earlier said that the commingling of children who are vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who are unvaccinated would not be a problem once face-to-face classes resume. —KBK/BM, GMA News