Vaccinations to start for teachers from next week: sources

Teachers, cleaners and other support staff at the more than 25,000 public schools in SA will be vaccinated against Covid-19 from next week.

According to impeccable sources, the impending vaccination of teachers was confirmed by the acting director-general of basic education, Granville Whittle, during a meeting with teacher unions on Friday.

The unions were told that basic education minister Angie Motshekga and her health counterpart Zweli Mkhize would be announcing the vaccine rollout for teachers over the weekend.

The source told TimesLIVE that the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines earmarked for teaching and support staff would be arriving in the country at the weekend.

“There is a suggestion that teachers, cleaners and support staff aged 40 and over would be vaccinated first,” the source said.

TimesLIVE was told that the education district offices would become vaccination sites.

On Thursday, KwaZulu-Natal health department head Sandile Tshabalala sent a letter to the provincial head of education, Enock Nzama, informing him that the national department of health had confirmed that the J&J vaccine will be available within the next week — “most of which should be used for educators”.

According to the letter, the target group is basic education, a reference to all staff members from primary and secondary schools.

“It is expected that the dedicated vaccination sites for educators will be ready by Wednesday [June 9] and the vaccination period will be two weeks,” the letter reads.

Tshabalala asked departmental co-ordinators in the health department to avail themselves for a planning meeting on Friday.

Motshekga received the jab on Tuesday.

TimesLIVE