Some 44,027 teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) Ilocos Region have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) as of February 21.

In a virtual press conference on Tuesday, DepEd Ilocos Region medical officer Dr. Romarie Castillo said of the total number, 25,596 are teaching personnel while 18,431 are non-teaching personnel.

“We are now at 92 percent in the vaccination of the teaching and non-teaching personnel out of the total 58,122 eligible population,” she added.

Castillo said some 2,864 personnel have registered and are waiting for their immunization schedule, while some 1,719 have not registered due to their health conditions, religious beliefs, and other personal reasons.

“We are doing our best to still convince them to get vaccinated,” she said.

Castillo reiterated that only vaccinated teachers may participate in the ongoing expanded limited face-to-face classes in the region.

She said strict compliance to the minimum health standards is still in place and observed during in-person classes. (PNA)