Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 7) – The Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education said on Sunday that the list of schools that can be potentially used as vaccination sites is not yet final.
DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said that schools should comply with some requirements before they can be used as possible sites.
“Ang listahan po ay hindi pa final, ayun ang pagkakaalam ko. May mga requirements po tayo na kailangan makumpleto at kasalukuyang tinigtignan kung sila po ay makaka-comply sa mga hinihingi,” he said.
[Translation: The list is not yet final as far as I know. We have requirements that need to be completed and currently we are looking if they can comply with the requirements.]
Meanwhile, CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III said that he recently met with National Task Force on Covid-19 Response chief implementor Carlito Galvez, Jr. on the options that universities and colleges could consider if they decided to offer their campuses as vaccination sites.
“Doon sa aming usapan, ang aming tinignan ay ano yung iba’t-ibang option para sa mga pamantasan na papayag i-offer yung kanilang campus para sa vaccination,” he told CNN Philippines Newsroom Weekend.
[Translation: In our discussion, we are looking into the different options that our universities could consider if they offer their campuses for the vaccination.]
Some local government units like Manila and Quezon City are already eyeing some schools as vaccination facilities.
Moreover, De Vera said that schools preparing for limited face-to-face classes can be possibly used as vaccination facilities. He pointed out that these universities have already “retrofitted” their facilities in compliance with required health standards amid the pandemic.
“Kaya pwedeng i-harness ang mga universities kasi nag-retrofit na sila, dahil naga-apply sila para magkaroon ng limited face-to-face [classes],” he said. “Ibig sabihin meron nang spacing para sa mga upuan, yung kanilang directional flow, yung information nandodoon na, so they are logically ready for vaccination.”
[Translation: We can use the universities because they retrofitted their facilities in order to conduct limited face-to-face classes…This means that they already have spacing for the chairs, they have directional flow, the information needed is already there, so logically they are ready for vaccination.]
Some universities and colleges were already allowed to conduct limited face-to-face classes soon, but only for their medical and health allied programs.
The government is also looking into the possibility of converting some Covid-19 testing centers and quarantine facilities into vaccination sites, according to testing czar Vince Dizon.
The Catholic bishops also earlier offered to transform church facilities as vaccination sites.
