MANILA, Philippines — Unvaccinated household companion of children joining the pilot face-to-face classes this November 15 could be prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19, an official from the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Tuesday.
DepEd Assistant Secretary Malcolm Garma said this was one of the steps being considered by the Department of Health (DOH) during their meeting on Monday to ensure the safety of students.
“In fact the direction now is for us to determine the members of the household of the learners who will participate,” Garma said in an online briefing.
“Because there is a possibility, [if] there are still unvaccinated members of the family, DOH and National Taskforce [Against COVID-19] will prioritize them for vaccination, if they are willing to undergo vaccination,” he added.
Garma said that DepEd will gather the profile of learners who will participate, including the profile of vaccination status of the members of their households.
Some 100 public schools will join the pilot face-to-face classes on November 15.
RELATED STORY
DepEd identifies 100 public schools for pilot of face-to-face classes on Nov. 15