MEDIA MAGNET Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio answers questions from the media as she arrives at the chapel of San Beda University in Manila where she attended Mass for the birthday celebration of businessman Manny Pangilinan on Thursday, July 14, 2022. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN
By Kaithreen Cruz, Manila Times
(UPDATE) VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio emphasized that the Department of Education (DepEd) will not limit the class size for in-person learning.
"We did not put an exact class size because the situations in schools differ. We indicated in DepEd Order 34, and as approved by the President when presented during the Cabinet Meeting, that physical distancing will be implemented whenever possible," she said in an interview on Thursday.
The Education chief added that the creation of more classrooms is in the pipeline to address overcrowding in schools.
"We are now creating a department order that will streamline requests for classroom construction so that we can prevent adding unimplementable projects and ensure that what we include in the budget request are those that could be immediately constructed," the Vice President said.
She reiterated that Covid-19 vaccination for learners is still not mandatory, and co-mingling of vaccinated and unvaccinated learners will be allowed in the classrooms.
Duterte-Carpio also said that eating protocols in schools were considered since students will not be wearing masks as they eat, emphasizing that eating together will be prohibited. If the space is limited for physical distancing when eating, students should eat facing the same direction and not facing each other.
The Vice President added that the lessons learned during the two years of the pandemic will help implement health protocols of wearing masks, physical distancing and hand washing.
Duterte-Carpio also said studies show that children who have contracted Covid-19 have a high recovery rate and experience usually mild symptoms, with deaths being "extremely rare."
On the other hand, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said that the "lack of substantive health measures is a recipe for disaster" for face-to-face classes.
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"They removed any requisite for inspection or even a mere checklist of requirements for safe school reopening. There is no standard for classroom ventilation aside from opening the doors and windows. There is no requisite for hand-washing facilities or a steady water supply. The need for a clinic or a nurse is not even mentioned," ACT President Vladimer Quetua said.
ACT suggested six key points for the DepEd to consider in the guidelines for face-to-face classes: double the schools' maintenance and operating budget to ensure implementation of health protocols; employ additional teachers to reduce class size to a maximum of 35 students; employ more nurses and utility personnel for every school; ensure health protection and benefits of teachers and school employees; provide financial aid for families struggling amid the economic crisis; and conduct a learning assessment to gauge adjustments for education recovery.
In a related development, Iloilo First District Representative and former Department of Health secretary Janette Garin urged more individuals to take booster shots since two doses were no longer sufficient. Boosters are also needed because a large percentage of the population must be vaccinated in order to achieve a "society without masks."
She outlined the four primary functions of vaccination, which are to prevent deaths, lower the impact of infectious symptoms, decrease transmission and limit mutation.
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The National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) reported that as of July 13, 2022, there were 71 million fully vaccinated Filipinos, of whom 15.3 million had their first booster shot and just roughly 950,000 had received their second.
Garin said these facts, along with the rising number of Covid-19 instances, place the nation in a less-than-ideal situation to combat the virus and build economic resilience.
She recommended that the government and health sector redefine a fully immunized person as someone who has received two doses of vaccine plus one or two booster shots, set aside funds for second-generation Covid vaccines, and prepare health care facilities and have antivirals on hand.
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Be that as it may, an infectious disease specialist urged Filipinos not to panic amid reports of newer and more infectious sub-variants of Covid-19, such as the Omicron BA.5 sub-variant.
In a briefing on Thursday, Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvaña, also a member of the Department of Health's Technical Advisory Group, said that while the number of cases have increased, the number of severe and critical infections continue to remain stable.
He added that the Delta variant remains as the "most deadly" strain of the virus as it crippled the health care system when a surge of cases happened last year and led to many deaths.
"The worst variant is really Delta. Right now, BA.5 cases are trickling in but we know what to do to prevent infection. From that perspective in terms of death and severe disease, Omicron is far from severity as compared to Delta," Salvaña said.
While BA.5 is more immune evasive than other variants, those who are infected with it only get asymptomatic or mild disease and it will not inflict as much "destruction" as the Delta variant.
Salvaña said that while the "worst is over" for the virus, its continued evolution will remain a threat, especially if the public becomes complacent in following health protocols and not getting their booster shots.
However, he stressed that the general public should wait for the rollout of the reformulated bivalent vaccines as possible second booster shots, possibly by September or October of this year.
Sen. Maria Lourdes "Nancy" Binay also raised the need to convene the Committee of the Whole once the 19th Congress opens to discuss pending concerns on Covid-19.
She noted that calls to require Filipinos to get booster shots have surfaced amid the reported rise in Covid-19 cases, with the country recording an average of 1,467 cases daily from July 4 to 10.
She said the Senate should tackle pending issues regarding Covid-19 like vaccination programs, access to boosters, status of our health care workers, health and pandemic statistics, level of preparedness, and exit plans."
Binay on Thursday voiced support for the government's booster drive, especially in the face of pandemic fatigue and vaccine complacency.
"Everyone's experiencing pandemic fatigue and vaccine complacency. People have become less vigilant," she said in a statement.
She also raised the need to continue revisiting and reviewing the country's public health policies to ensure these are up-to-date and in line with international standards.
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