A total of 3,900 students aged 12 to 17 years old have been infected by COVID-19 since in-person classes started in September, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday, Nov. 4.

”There had been this number of infections among students during this time that we started gradually opening the schools and having face-to-face. Pero sa tingin ko, hindi dapat yan maging balakid para patuloy na magkaroon ng fully implementation ng face-to-face classes,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a press briefing.

She said the cases were mild and not severe.

There were no reported deaths so far, Vergeire added.

According to Vergeire, the data came from the DOH's surveillance report, not from the education department.

”Ang Department of Education, nag-commit naman sila na they would be completing the report for schools and submitting it to us,” she added.

The Health OIC asserted that the benefits of in-person classes ”outweigh” the number of infections that had been experienced by students.

”All of these infections do not outweigh the benefit if we open up the classes because this is essential for the mental health and wellness of our students,” she added.

As of Nov. 3, DOH recorded 18,932 active cases nationwide. The COVID-19 tally is now 4,006,635.

The recovery tally recorded reached 3,924,064.