Employees within the education sector were apprehensive and excited as they queued to receive their Covid-19 vaccines amid a third-wave surge in most of the country, while KwaZulu-Natal authorities warned those educators who fail to get their vaccinations that they would not be allowed to work from home.
Educators from Acaciavale Primary School and Mkhamba Primary School queued at the Limit Hill Community Hall on Wednesday morning, 23 June, to be the first to receive their Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines in the uThukela District. As the third phase of the Covid-19 vaccine programme got underway, educators were a bit wary about the jab. “We are scared, but also hopeful and pray that this will help keep us and our children safe,” said one educator. Mkhamba Primary School educators, Sarisha Singh, Merishka Harilal, Bejil Lakhan and Maureen Hamilton, said they were excited to be part of the solution and were grateful for being allowing to be vaccinated. “This will make teaching a little easier and less stressful because of the amount of children that we are exposed to on a daily basis,” added the educators.
Educator, Charlene Pillay, told The Ladysmith Herald that the jab in the arm was a little sore, but said that the staff and medical team that were on hand made the process simple. At this stage only government employed educators are receiving the vaccines, while SGB employed educators and support staff at schools will have to wait. Addressing the media during a briefing on Wednesday, KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC, Kwazi Mshengu, said educators who refused to get vaccinated would not be allowed to work from home. “We can’t force those who don’t want to vaccinate. It’s a voluntary decision, but what we have decided is that if you don’t vaccinate, you can’t then claim you still want to work remotely. You can’t get that benefit. If you don’t vaccinate there are things you can no longer claim like – ‘I have comorbidities and I need to work from home’. You will not be able to do that because the government has provided you with the opportunity to vaccinate. Therefore, such things will no longer be available to them,” said Mshengu.
There are 96 vaccination sites in KwaZulu-Natal for the education sector, with the roll-out ending on 8 July. The following have been identified as vaccination sites for educators in the uThukela District: Limit Hill Community Hall, Driefontein Traditional Court, Valkoop Community Hall, eZakheni Community Hall, Bergville Community Hall, Forderville Community Hall, Estcourt and Weenen Community Hall. On Friday, acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said Covid-19 vaccination registration for the over-50s would be open from 1 July, and their vaccinations would begin from 15 July. The total number of health workers vaccinated to date is 127 742 and over-60s is 373 523. The total number for both Sisonke and Pfizer is 502 876.
