Tshwane social development week’s long vaccination generally went smooth but some left out

While the Department of Social Development week’s long vaccination roll-out generally went smooth in Tshwane, some early childhood development (ECD) practitioners did not get their jabs because of a lack of information.

The roll-out plan included ECD workers both registered and unregistered with the government, social service professionals and community development practitioners between 19 to 23 July 2021 and some centres continued this week.

Little Flowers owner Sandra Viljoen said she and 18 staff members were not so lucky to get the jab during the sector’s vaccination window period.

She said she tried to register for the programme without success and found herself stuck.

“I received a link to register from the SA Childcare, we tried to register but we were not successful. My staff and I really wanted to get vaccinated but we did not know much, nothing was communicated with us as a centre directly by the department as to how we should go about the vaccination programme,” she said.

She said with the roll-out being a week-long, they did not have time to plan around it.

“We managed to get help on Friday from the regional managers and they assisted us, but it was too late. It was the last day and we had children at school and we could not leave them and that’s how we missed this opportunity,” she said.

Viljoen said they registered on the Department of Health’s general vaccination website to get vaccinated.

Casa Bambini Baby House preschool in the east of Pretoria owner Chandre Trytsman said she and 11 staff members also missed the vaccination period.

“We did not get information from the department nor the association we are affiliated with regarding the roll-out. The big schools might have got vaccinated but as a small school, we were not so lucky,” Trytsman.

“We have now registered for the general vaccination last week, nine of us and two under 35 will wait for that to open.”

Department spokesperson Feziwe Ndwayana said out of an estimated 10 000 early childhood centres practitioners, 6 000 were vaccinated between 19 to 23 July 2021.

Responding to complaints of lack of information, Ndwayana said they made use of several communication platforms to raise awareness to stakeholders.

“The department communicated consistently on the vaccination programme and therefore the department refutes claims that it did not communicate to its stakeholders,” she said.

“Our communication included social media before the week of vaccination roll-out and during the week of the vaccination roll-out programme, a press briefing by the head office and radio interviews.”

Ndwayana said the programme was well-received by the social service sector, however, some refused to get vaccinated.

“The department cannot coerce any of its staff members or stakeholders to get vaccinated.”

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