Vaccination of teachers may start by June

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President Rodrigo Duterte approved the request of the department to include the public school teachers and DepEd employees in the A4 priority group, said Sec. Briones during the press briefing. The vaccination of teachers and personnel against the COVID-19 may start by June according to DepEd Secretary Leonor M. Briones during the Press Briefing of Spokesperson Harry Roque on April 19, 2021.

Health authorities, including the Department of Health (DOH), have repeatedly emphasized that COVID-19 vaccination is one of the major strategies to complement the existing measures and practices to mitigate the spread and reduce morbidity and mortality due to coronavirus infection.

The government’s directions pertaining to COVID-19 vaccination are laid out in the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) for COVID-19 Vaccines and further elaborated in DOH issuances.

DepEd personnel have three levels of participation in the ongoing implementation of the NDVP:

1. AS RECIPIENTS OR BENEFICIARIES – Personal level or as qualified recipients of the vaccine

2. AS MEMBERS OF THE FOLLOWING BODIES IN THE VACCINATION PLAN:

a. Task Group and Sub-Task Groups of the Immunization Program
– Designated DepEd representatives are found in Annex 1.

b. Vaccination Team – As volunteer members of their respective local vaccination teams through the practice of their professions and relevant skills sets (e.g., as medical professionals, as educators, or as guidance counselors.)

c. Vaccination Operations Center (VOC) – As members of the Planning, Campaign Management, and Technical Team of the VOC at the various levels of governance

3. AS CHAMPIONS FOR ADVOCACY ON VACCINATION – The Public Affairs Service (PAS) is working with the DOH on this initiative. A DepEd Communications Plan for increasing awareness and rallyin DepEd personnel to be champions for vaccination, and encouraging everyone be informed and get vaccinated is in the works. A separate memo shall be issued on this program.

Consistent with the pronouncements of Sec. Briones in previous meetings and activities related to the government’s vaccination program, the Department shall release an issuance providing comprehensive guidance to the field regarding all these three levels of participation expected of DepEd and its personnel.

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DTFC Memorandum, No. 372 – Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination for DepEd Teaching and Non-Teaching Personnel

The DepEd Task Force COVID-19 issues Memorandum No. 372 or the “Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination for DepEd Teaching and Non-teaching personnel.”

This will show the levels of participation of the DepEd personnel in the ongoing implementation of the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP).

As per the IATF Resolution 110, s. 2021, the Basic Education frontliners, both in public and private, are now in the A4 priority vaccination group.

Subject: GUIDANCE ON COVID-19 VACCINATION FOR DEPED TEACHING AND NON-TEACHING PERSONNEL

As Recipients or Beneficiaries

In support of the forthcoming comprehensive DepEd issuances, and recognizing that local governments have commenced the implementation of their respective micro-plans in line with the NDVP, the DepEd Task Force COVID-19 (DTFC), through the Department’s representatives in the Task Group Immunization Program, issues this guidance to the field particularly on the first level of their participation in NDVP: As qualified recipients of the vaccine.

The vaccination remains to be the personal and voluntary decision of every personnel.

In this light, the DTFC enjoins everyone to be proactive in learning about the vaccine and the vaccination program, and to make an informed choice about the matter.

1. DepEd personnel who wish to be vaccinated are advised to register for free vaccination through their respective local government units (LGUs.)

Per DOH DM 2021-0157, LGUs are the lead in the master listing of the respective general population, consistent with their roles in profiling the health status of their constituents as stipulated in the Universal Health Care Act.

One way the LGUs do this master listing is through the open call to eligible populations through the use of appropriate media platforms and house-to-house visits by community health workers, consistent with minimum public health standards.

DOH DM 2021-0157 further provides that all Filipinos shall indicate their interest to be vaccinated through their LGUs based on the address of their permanent or current residence or workplace.

In this regard, DepEd personnel who wish to be vaccinated are reminded to keep themselves updated about the announcements and promptly respond to calls of their respective LGUs for both registration and the actual vaccination whenever they are eligible.

2. DepEd personnel are advised to take note of which priority population group they belong to and to register accordingly.

As of April 15, 2021, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has identified “frontline personnel in basic education and higher education institutions and agencies” as part of Priority Group A4 (Annex 2 – IATF Resolution No. 110, s. 2021), approving the appeal of Secretary Briones. This inclusion of the basic education front liners in the A4 priority category means that the vaccine prioritization for education frontliners has been adjusted from B1 to A4.