Commission on Higher Education Chair J. Prospero de Vera III urged college students to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 in preparation for the expanded face-to-face classes in selected degree programs.

De Vera said vaccination is one of the factors for the low infection rate among the first batch of students who attended in-person classes for medicine and health science degree programs.

“Sa awa ng Diyos, ang infection rate sa mga estudyante ay less than one percent, it’s 0.3 percent and it’s 1.4 percent sa mga faculty. Walang naospital, walang namatay among the faculty,” he said.

In January, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the implementation of face-to-face classes for medicine and health allied courses after the CHED and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases inspected classrooms and facilities which have been retrofitted to ensure safe learning during the pandemic.

Some 181 schools have been authorized to open physical classes and more than 20,000 students were allowed to attend.

On Sept. 21, Duterte approved the opening of limited face-to-face classes for Engineering and technology programs, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Tourism Management and Maritime programs.

Since the start of face-to-face classes in selected degree programs, the commission has been monitoring the vaccination outcomes in schools, with about 1,500 higher education institutions (HEIs) reporting about their vaccination statistics.

“The good news is in some schools, the vaccination level is as high as 90 plus percent. And, 53 percent of our HEIs have reported a vaccination level of more than 75 percent among their personnel,” he said.

To bring the message of vaccination to the public, the CHED will conduct roadshows in different universities nationwide. – PNA