PUBLIC school students and their parents who have received the Covid-19 vaccine said they want to protect their family, their school and the community as a whole.
“I feel like everyone should get it to help with the safety of everyone on this island,” said Maxine Candare, a middle school student. “I also think that we could help our community get back to how we were before this pandemic!”
She added, “I wanted to be vaccinated to ensure the safety of the island and its people. I also wanted to ensure the safety of my family and myself!”
Candare said the vaccination didn’t hurt. “You might have a sore arm, but that’s about it! You also feel like you’ve helped the community by being vaccinated. I personally think that I’m helping the island by getting vaccinated.”
An incoming high school senior, Sydney Manzanares said it was her personal decision to get vaccinated and to help “decrease the chances of spreading Covid-19.”
She added, “As more people get vaccinated, we decrease the chances of spreading the disease and we create a safer community.”
She advises her peers not to believe “everything that’s on social media because it’s not a reliable source (of information) and it’s most likely false if it’s not from a medical professional. You should get vaccinated so we could finally put this Covid-19 pandemic behind us.”
Daniana Borja, an incoming Kagman High School student, said: “I want to get vaccinated for my family and my safety…and yes, I feel good that I get vaccinated.”
Sebastian Muna, 17, an incoming high school senior, said he got vaccinated because “I want to help create herd immunity on Saipan to protect my friends and family and for traveling purposes.”
Kimberly Borja, the mother of an incoming seventh grader at Chacha Oceanview Middle School, said the vaccine will protect her daughter from Covid-19.
She noted that PSS is highly encouraging eligible students to get vaccinated. “I say go for it. I got it myself, and there were no symptoms or whatsoever, but each person is different. So I advise them to consult their doctor and get the vaccine if they are eligible for it.”
Another parent said she got vaccinated “for my family’s protection. This is the best we can do especially now that there are now mutations and variants, which make Covid-19 scarier for our community.”
PSS hires nurses
In related news, the Public School System announced that it has hired three highly skilled and experienced registered nurses to assist PSS in ensuring a safer in-person classes for students and teachers.
The nurses will provide their services to Saipan, Tinian and Rota public schools. They will conduct Covid-19 screening and testing, routine evaluation of students for symptoms or possible exposure, contact tracing, and implementation of prevention strategies.
The nurses — Bertha Camacho, Laurina Boyer and Rocel Cariaso — will work under the PSS Family and Community Engagement Program whose manager is former Garapan Elementary School principal Leila Yumul.
Ongoing vaccination drive
Members of the public, including students who are 12 years old and above, can get the Covid-19 vaccine at the following sites:
• San Vicente Elementary School, Aug. 6, Friday, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
• Rota’s Sinapalo Elementary School, Aug. 7, Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
• Kagman Elementary School, Aug. 9, Sunday, and Aug. 10, Monday, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
• Rota Health Center, Aug. 12, Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada, left, with registered nurses Bertha Camacho and Laurina Boyer, Family and Community Engagement Program Manager Leila Yumul and registered nurse Rocel Cariaso.
Public school student Maxine Candare, right, and her mother Tatanya S. Amado Candare.
