REP. ANGELICA NATASHA CO BHW Party-list | Member for the Minority, Health, Economic Affairs, and 12 other Committees Author, Barangay Health and Wellness Reform Act (House Bill 3985) One of House authors, Crushing COVID-19 Act (House Bill 6865) 09177292437 | https://www.facebook.com/BHWPhilippinesOfficial/ Gov’t forms task group for COVID-19 vaccine program STUDENTS, TEACHERS FROM KINDER TO COLLEGE SHOULD GET FREE COVID-19 VACCINES
Free COVID-19 vaccination “must include all public school students and teachers, as well as government financial aid student recipients enrolled in private schools”, according to Rep. Angelica Natasha Co (BHW Party-list)
“Effective adjustment to life under the new normal can be best achieved by having the students and teachers vaccinated, so they can return to their schools for face-to-face classroom sessions,” the Member of the House Health Committee said. The lawmaker said the current national government goal of vaccinating only 20 million of the country’s poorest “would not be enough because that counts only the parents of the students enrolled from Kindergarten to College.” “However, students with the financial means because they are from upper middle class and rich families pay for their own COVID-19 vaccination or get at least 50 percent PhilHealth subsidy,” the legislator added.
“Although the home is everyone’s first school, the bottom line is that inadequate are all efforts to conduct formal schooling through modules, blended learning, online learning, and distance learning via tv and radio. All of those efforts are coping mechanisms,” the solon also said.
“We must safely return to classroom sessions at the soonest after COVID-19 vaccination happens. To do this, the national government must have more free vaccines available. If the national budget is not enough, then the Department of Finance must source funding from loans and grants,” Co said.
“Our barangay health workers can and should be at the forefront of the national immunization operations. As health frontliners, BHWs must also be among the firsts to be vaccinated for the protection of everyone they will be helping with,” Co added. (END)