About 1,000 tertiary students received their COVID-19 vaccines in Tarlac as part of the Regional Simultaneous Vaccination Program in Central Luzon.

The activity was initiated by Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in partnership with Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government and Philippine Information Agency.

CHED OIC-Regional Director Maria Teresita Semana said the activity is in support of the national government’s goal to achieve herd immunity and in preparation for the opening of limited face-to-face classes next year, 

A total of 371 students received their jabs at Tarlac Agricultural University vaccination site while Tarlac State University (TSU) accommodated 730 students from TSU, AMA Computer College-Tarlac, and Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital Educational Institution Inc.

Centro Colegio de Tarlac Inc., Osias College Inc., Philippine Women’s University Tarlac, STI College Tarlac, Tarlac Christian Colleges Inc., United School of Science and Technology Colleges Inc., Central Luzon State University, and Good Samaritan Colleges also served as vaccination sites. 

Semana said CHED has seen the concerns of students in having limited face-to-face classes, especially programs which require intensive laboratory, clinical and industry exposure. 

“Our target is to vaccinate at least 80 percent of the student population in Central Luzon by the end of November 2021,” she stressed. 

Semana noted that based on their consolidated data as of November 18, approximately 51% or 198,295 out of 386,696 enrolled students, for both undergraduate and graduate programs, were vaccinated. 

“Taking-off from the town hall meetings with our partners, it was agreed that there will be volunteer vaccination centers to improve the vaccination uptake of the students in Central Luzon,” she shared. (PIA-3)