No COVID case reported during 4-week pilot in-person classes

The Department of Education (DepEd) said Friday it has recorded a single COVID-19 case during the four-week pilot implementation of face-to-face classes.

“For the 4 weeks that we have implemented the pilot case, we have zero confirmed cases. So we have zero case of COVID among our learners and among those teaching and non-teaching personnel who are participating,”  DepEd Assistant Secretary Malcolm Garma said at a Senate hearing.

But he noted that some of the learners had manifested flu-like symptoms.

“There are learners that manifested ‘yung flu-like symptoms and this include cough, fever, cold. In fact in Week 1, 100 learners have manifested these symptoms, in Week 2, 53, in Week 3, 54, and in Week 4, 97,” he said.

Garma explained that the presence of the symptoms was one of the reasons behind the learners' non-attendance in classes.

“This data is reported as non-attendance to the limited face-to-face. Ibig sabihin po nito, sa bahay pa lang po, ‘yung mga magulang ay nagde-decide na na wag papasukin ‘yung kanilang anak because of these symptoms,” he said.

(This data is reported as non-attendance to the limited face to face. This means, the parents have already decided not to allow their children attend the classes because of these symptoms.)

In line with the government’s guidelines, Garma said, parents are required to report these cases to the school personnel or to school officials.

“Immediately these children, these learners manifesting flu-like symptoms are referred to concerned medical units through the LGU or DOH (so we can assess them) para po ma-assess sila,” he said.

Garma said the DepEd’s data on learners’ attendance is still a “moving number.”

For now, Garma said the weekly attendance rate are 82 percent for Week 1; 83% for week 2;  83% for Week 3; and 84.2% for Week 4. —LBG, GMA News