WVSU launched its COVID-19 vaccination program on November 22, 2021, resulting in the initial inoculation of 400 students and staff, along with 238 healthcare frontliners. The event also marked the university’s commitment to help in the vaccination rollouts of the local government.
Responding to the need of the times, WVSU accommodated medical teams from the Provincial Health Office and the Department of Health at the Cultural Arts Center, where the vaccination took place. WVSU staff and security personnel helped ensure the orderly process as scores of Iloilo residents trooped to the site for several weeks on specific days.
Eventually, the vaccination program gained momentum as other public and commercial establishments became venues for mass inoculation, spurred by the Bayanihan We Heal as One Act, spearheaded by the Duterte Administration.
Last July 22, 2022, the Commission on Higher Education recognized WVSU with the “Outstanding Higher Education Institution for the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Award” during a ceremony held at the Philippine International Convention Center Complex.
The Certificate of Recognition reads:
[Given] for their notable contributions to the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program and Deployment Plan and for exemplifying the Bayanihan spirit by forging unity and cooperation mong key stakeholders to expedite the vaccination against COVID-19 of their students, HEI personnel, and members of the community.
WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz received the award from CHED Chairman Dr. J. Prospero E. De Vera III.
-By Leo G. Almonte, MDC