96% of DOJ staff nationwide fully vaccinated
MANILA, Philippines — Nearly all of the 6,254 total employees of the Department of Justice nationwide have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, data from the agency showed.
As of January 4, the DOJ said that 6,064 or 96.96% of its total employees have completed their doses against COVID-19. There have 42 other staff waiting for their second jab, it added.
At its main office in Padre Faura, Manila, the DOJ has so far 768 fully vaccinated employees or 95.52% of its 804 personnel. Two staffers have already received their first dose, data as of Thursday morning also showed.
The same release showed that the DOJ has 35 active COVID-19 cases as of Thursday morning, the first workweek of the year.
Of these, 21 are reporting to the DOJ main office. Seven are from DOJ Region IV or Calabarzon and Mimaropa, six from Central Luzon and one from the Ilocos region.
With more than 21 staff infected with COVID-19 at the main office, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said they are looking at the reduction of on-site workforce.
Guevarra told reporters the department might reduce personnel physically reporting to the office to 30%, but he stressed: “We need to pre-clear with the Office of the President.”
The DOJ will also conduct weekly disinfection of its premises, he added.
To date, the DOJ has logged a total of 741 COVID-19 cases among its personnel, since 2020. In 2020, the department recorded 72 cases, while the following year, the DOJ saw 630 infections.
In the first week of the year, the Philippines saw a sharp rise in new COVID-19 infections, prompting the government to revert Metro Manila and four nearby provinces to stricter protocols under Alert Level 3 until January 15. — Kristine Joy Patag
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