TO SUPPORT the national vaccination drive of the government, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched its VACC2School Campaign in May to encourage all its teaching and non-teaching personnel to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
With the theme Vacc2School: Ligtas na Bakuna, Para sa Balik-Eskwela!, the campaign aims to inform, educate, and engage the Department’s stakeholders in promoting the vaccination drive and other related policies to mitigate Covid-19. Some of the efforts of the DepEd Regional Office-Central Luzon relative to the VACC2School campaign is the conduct of the Town Hall Session on Covid-19 Vaccination, online Interaksyon with Parents and Learners that aims to provide education and Covid-19 vaccine information, use of live radio broadcasting in promoting vaccination and distribution of IEC materials to all schools, participation of medical officers and nurses in the vaccination rollout, and partnership with the LGUs regarding Covid vaccination and rollout.
One of the recent developments regarding the vaccination rollout is the inclusion of basic education front liners in the A4 priority group category. The success of the rollout of the vaccination among DepEd personnel will be a significant factor in our preparations and efforts to gradually resume face-to-face classes. With this development, DepEd still reiterates its commitment to continuously protect the health and safety of our teachers, learners and non-teaching personnel, and prioritize their welfare at this critical time.
Based on the May 28, 2021 National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) Capacity Building, national government agencies (NGAs) are already advised to utilize whichever modalities fitted to their needs such as establishing their own vaccination sites, link with existing vaccination sites with manpower capacities, or link with local government units and utilize the capacity of the vaccination sites.
Furthermore, also announced during the same NVOC capacity building that the 17 industry-specific sub-groups first approved through IATF Resolution No. 110 (April 15, 2021) are now reduced to only three sub-groups which include the employees in government agencies and instrumentalities including government-owned and controlled corporations and local government units.
The DepEd Regional Office-Central Luzon is one of the NGAs in the region to receive vaccination from the Provincial Government of Pampanga under the leadership of Governor Dennis Pineda. The first batch of its 113 personnel enlisted was given their first AstraZeneca vaccine dose on June 16, 2021. The second batch is scheduled for the last week of the month. The accommodation of the DepEd RO Central Luzon personnel in the vaccination rollout managed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office is truly laudable.
With more and more people getting vaccinated, it is our prayer that the goal of achieving herd immunity will come to fruition soon so that this pandemic will hopefully be over soon.