DBE urges teachers to make use of vaccination opportunity
The Department of Basic Education is urging teachers and support staff to make use of the opportunity to have themselves vaccinated despite being on holiday.
DURBAN, July 6 (ANA) – As Covid-19 infection numbers rise rapidly, South Africa’s Department of Basic Education (DBE) has this week urged teachers and support staff to make use of the opportunity to have themselves vaccinated despite being on holiday.
DBE spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said in a statement on Monday that just over half of the department’s vaccination target of 582,564 has been successfully completed since the roll-out of teacher vaccinations just under two weeks ago.
Mhlanga said that the vaccination sites were still open to teachers and staff despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement last month stating that schools would close a week before the scheduled timetable to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Teachers and support staff in the country were prioritised to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which warrants a single dose as compared with the Pfizer shot, which requires two.
Phase one of the DBE’s plan was to inoculate around 300,000 teachers and staff within the first 10 days of the roll-out, a target that was based on the number of J&J shots available to it.
More than 300,000 teachers and support staff across nine provinces were vaccinated by July 1, Mhlanga said.
He said that an additional 289,000 doses of the J&J shot have been delivered to the sector, which is likely to enable it to reach the targeted vaccination figure of 582,564.
“The basic education sector will continue to administer the remaining doses of the vaccine to cover the remaining 282,512 staff. In addition, support staff from independent schools, food handlers, screeners, cleaners and ECD practitioners will be included in the roll-out programme,” Mhlanga said.
As the DBE ramps up efforts to meet vaccination targets, the South African Police Service kicked off its vaccination programme on Monday, with Police Minister General Bheki Cele receiving his J&J jab outside the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Gauteng.
Around 180,000 police officers are scheduled to receive the vaccine.
South Africa’s Department of Health (DOH) believes the Covid-19 vaccination programme will run more efficiently once lower age groups are authorised to receive their shots.
Vaccinations for people aged 50 and above are due to be rolled out, with more than 500,000 people registering on the Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS) since the portal opened for that demographic last Thursday.
People aged 50 and over will start receiving the vaccine from July 15, according to Ramaphosa.
Speaking on news channel eNCA on Monday morning, DOH deputy director-general Dr Nicholas Crisp said the large number of people willing to vaccinate should come as no surprise, this being a more mobile and anxious part of the population.
“When you register the 50-plus, they tend to bring older people with them and we’re not sure if that will be a trend yet, but we will watch it closely. But it does make sense that people in their fifties have parents in their seventies and eighties and it is much easier when they work together to bring older people,” he said.
Crisp said that the DOH has already started planning for the vaccinations of people aged 40 and over.
Following the latest delivery of vaccines, Crisp said there were currently around 4.5 million doses in total, from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
As of Monday, the country has a confirmed case count of 2,075,409 with an 88% recovery rate, according to DOH, and a cumulative death toll of 62,171.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher
