Johannesburg – While schools closed this week, the vaccination roll-out continued in some areas, while glitches halted vaccinations at other sites.
Some of the glitches related to the electronic data vaccination system, which was not picking up details of foreign teachers in Limpopo.
Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba said they were unable to immunise teachers coming from other countries and had asked the national departments of health and education to step in and assist.
In other parts of the country some teachers, those not paid directly by the department were told they do not qualify.
In Cape Town music, drama and extramural teachers and facilitators reported that they were told they were not eligible for vaccines. They said this was despite them working the same number of hours.
In KwaZulu-Natal, school governing bodies were also disappointed with the last-minute exclusion of their teachers.
KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Kwazi Mshengu said the department decided to start with state-paid employees who were already registered on the system through their Persal numbers and announced that other staff would be vaccinated at a later date.
The province also announced a temporary suspension of the vaccine roll-out at sites in three of its districts this week.
The three affected districts were uMkhanyakude, eThekwini and Pinetown.
The suspension was reportedly due to the depletion of the doses that the department received. KwaZulu-Natal’s target is to vaccinate about 127 000 employees in the province’s education department.
Minister Angie Motshekga had also been visiting provinces to check on their vaccination progress and to urge educators to get the jab.
She said in a statement last week that they were assured by the Department of Health that there would not be any more shortages with the rest of the roll-out.
“With additional doses delivered now, the process will go even faster,” said Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
Teachers will continue to get their jabs this week, while Motshekga stated that schools would open on July 19.
She was confident that by then 582 000 educators and support staff will have been vaccinated.
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