DepEd records 21 personnel, learners contract COVID-19 in Iloilo

The Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Iloilo has recorded 21 confirmed cases of coronavirus among its personnel and learners.

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According to Leonil Salvilla, information officer of the Schools Division of Iloilo, of the 21 cases, 9 are active cases, 10 were already recovered and listed 2 fatalities. Also, 8 of the listed confirmed cases were identified as learners, 10 teaching personnel and 3 non-teaching personnel.

The most recent case was a 40-year-old female teacher of Guimbal National High School (NHS) in the municipality of Guimbal. According to Darwin Haro, Principal IV of Guimbal NHS, the teacher is now quarantined at the town's isolation facility and asymptomatic.

The teachers result on October 19 was part of the second batch of pooled testing which was conducted by the Rural Health Unit (RHU) on October 15.

For the meantime, the national high school is temporarily off limits to the public. It is also unclear how the teacher came in contact with the virus. 

But according to Salvilla, majority of the cases that were recorded between May and September, contracted the virus from relatives at home, friends and in visits to places such as hospitals.

Salvilla explained that the cases among the education staff are acquired in the community. For instance, their first case recorded among the learners had history of travel to Western Visayas Medical Center meaning they didn't acquire it during module retrieval or submission. Salvilla also said personnel who recovered from the respiratory illness may resume work.

Those who would get infected with COVID-19 may avail themselves of Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s benefit packages for hospitalization and treatment. In earlier announcements, DepEd personnel are entitled to a daily hazard pay amounting to P500 in areas under enhanced community quarantine and modified ECQ.

Salvilla asked teachers, parents and learners, also their partner barangay officials to strictly observe the health protocols, especially when it comes to distribution and retrieval of modules. Salvilla also appealed to parents to monitor their children.