AS LIMITED face-to-face classes in private and public schools in provinces began on Monday, the Department of Education in Bicol said that the vaccination rate for its teaching and non-teaching workers reached 93 percent.

DepEd-5 Director Gilbert Sadsad said that 69,706 or 93 percent of the 73,304 DepEd employees already received their Covid19 shots from their local government units.

Of these, 66,296 employees are fully vaccinated while 3,410 are scheduled to receive their second dose.

He said that 3,874 others are waiting for their vaccination schedules.

“The interim guidelines for the conduct of the limited face-to-face expressly provide that only vaccinated teachers may participate in the expanded phase. To ensure the protection of our learners and teachers, we still need to push for the 100 percent vaccination coverage of all eligible DepEd employees,“ Sadsad said.

“The vaccination drive for children is vital to the gradual reintroduction of face-to-face classes and the general welfare of Bicolano learners,” he added.

The Bicol Region had 3,763 active Covid19 cases as of Sunday.