A total of 748 cases of COVID-19 were recorded among staff of the Department of Education (DepEd), teachers, and students as of Aug. 18.
Of the 748 COVID-19 infections, 311 are cases among teachers while 268 are students according to a DepEd report shared by Education Undersecretary Alain Pascua.
Among the confirmed COVID-19 cases, DepEd said 318 are active cases—which means that these are infected persons still recuperating or undergoing medical treatment. Twenty-two meanwhile have died while 408 have recovered, DepEd said.
“In the central office, there are 15 confirmed cases, with 19 being active, 5 recoveries, and one death,” the report read.
The education department released a tally of COVID-19 cases among teachers and personnel following calls from groups of educators for a report on the infection rate within its ranks.
Prior to the release of the COVID-19 tally, the Teachers Dignity Coalition had said that it has received reports of teachers infected with COVID-19 after they were asked to physically report for work.
The DepEd had said that it has no budget allotted for the treatment of teachers who contract COVID-19 and that what has been allowed to be charged to the department’s funds are the supplies needed for compliance with minimum health standards.
Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla however clarified that public school teachers, as government employees, are covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
READ: DepEd walang pondo para sa pampagamot ng mga gurong may COVID-19
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