KwaDukuza teachers line up for Covid-19 vaccine

Trepidation, excitement and some fear could be seen on the faces of teachers and support staff as they lined up outside Stanger Secondary School hall on Monday to receive their long awaited Covid-19 jabs.

The voluntary vaccination programme for the education sector started last Wednesday, June 23 and will run until July 8.

About 400 teachers and support staff from 20 schools were administered the single dose Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine.

With public schools set to close a week earlier due to rising Covid-19 numbers, for many teachers the day could not have come soon enough.

Not even the two-hour wait could dampen their spirits.

Kavitha Singh, a grade 7 teacher at Umhlali Preparatory School who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment, was the first to be inoculated on Monday.

Singh said while she felt initial apprehension she was relieved to receive her vaccine.

A teacher from Guzana Secondary School said most of the staff at her school were eager to be vaccinated and staff from Ellen Gumede Primary School also welcomed the protection.

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga said the programme would continue after schools close this week – following the country’s move to adjusted lockdown level 4.

About 60 000 of the 127 000 teachers in the province have been vaccinated so far.

However, not all teachers are willing to be vaccinated.

At one local school, of 100 staff members who qualified about 40 opted out.

A grade 4 primary school teacher, who asked not to be named, said she refused the vaccine because she wanted to become pregnant and was not convinced it was safe for her or her future baby.

She was concerned about side-effects.

Although being vaccinated remains voluntary, the department encouraged teachers to vaccinate so that schools could become safe areas.

Speaking at a media briefing last Wednesday, education minister Kwazi Mshengu said they could not force the vaccine on those who did not want it.

But he warned that teachers who did not get vaccinated would not be allowed to work remotely.

“You cannot get that benefit of working from home, you will have to come to school. There are certain things that you cannot claim, like saying you have co-morbidities and you want to work from home. You will not be able to do that because the government has provided an opportunity for you to vaccinate,” he said.

Schools are expected to close on Wednesday, June 30 and will reopen a week early, on July 19 instead of July 26 as previously planned.