CHED-Central Luzon to hold simultaneous vax drive for college students
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A simultaneous vaccination activity for tertiary students in
Central Luzon will be held on November 19, according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
This initiative supports the national government’s goal to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19, and at the same time prepare students for the implementation of limited face-to-face classes, CHED OIC Regional Director Maria Teresita Semana said. “Everyone’s safety is very important, and vaccination is one way to ensure the safety not only of the students, but also of the faculty members, administrators, and non-teaching personnel of the different higher education institutions (HEIs) in the region,” Semana said. This is why students who are not yet vaccinated are encouraged to take part in this initiative, as this is their chance to be protected, Semana added. Nationwide, only about 27 percent of enrolled tertiary students were vaccinated; while in Central Luzon, the percentage is slightly lower at 21 percent.
With the upcoming vaccination drive, she said CHED targets to jab 70-80% of tertiary students by the end of November. Meanwhile, Semana cited that vaccination rate for faculty members is higher at 80%. She also stressed the need to address vaccine hesitancy, especially among the parents of the learners, in order to reach their target student population. Semana said while there are instances where both the parents and students agree to the vaccination, there are also cases where either the parent or the student is not receptive to the idea.
“We should also address cases wherein the parents are not open to the idea of their children being vaccinated. This is where information dissemination is crucial so that the whole community understands the significance of being vaccinated as an added safety net to be holistically safe from the virus,” the director said. However, she said that while vaccine hesitancy cannot be totally eliminated, most students
are excited to get vaccinated because they believe that they can only effectively learn certain skills set if they are in their schools doing face-to-face classes. A total of 19 HEIs across the region will serve as vaccination centers on November 19. These include Aurora State College of Technology in Aurora; Asia Pacific College of Advanced Studies Inc. in Bataan; and Bulacan State University, La Consolacion University Philippines, Polytechnic College of the City of Meycauayan; Dr. Yanga’s Colleges Inc., and Richwell College in Bulacan.
Also included are Central Luzon State University, Nueva Ecija Doctors Colleges Inc., and Wesleyan University-Philippines in Nueva Ecija; and Holy Cross College, Guagua National Colleges, Our Lady of Fatima University-Pampanga Inc., and City College of San Fernando in Pampanga. In Tarlac, Tarlac Agricultural University and Tarlac State University will be the vaccination centers; while in Zambales, it will be Columban College Inc., Polytechnic College of Botolan, and President Ramon Magsaysay State University. Enrolled students are advised to coordinate with their respective HEIs for inclusion in the
list. Meanwhile, HEIs will coordinate and submit the list of their students for vaccination to the designated vaccination centers. This initiative is in partnership with Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Philippine Information Agency.
