Teachers’ 300k vaccines arrive, SA reaches 2 million jab mark

Acting Minister of Health Mmamoloko Kubayi- Ngubane has confirmed the 300,000 J&J vaccines meant for the education sector arrived on Thursday evening.

Briefing the media on the vaccine rollout and the government’s response to Covid-19 on Friday morning, Kubayi-Ngubane said the vaccination programme for the education sector would start as soon as possible.

While the country is officially in the third wave of infections, Kubayi-Ngubane celebrated news that the country had vaccinated 2 million people as of Thursday.

“This is good news because when you look at what we are dealing with in terms of ensuring that we can build immunity, the higher the number we have to vaccinate of our population, the better we will be able to manage the pandemic. When we’re vaccinating, people should not lower their guard and stop protecting themselves,” she said.

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There are about 582,000 employees in the education sector, with many having been vaccinated already due to age and their work in the health sector.

While the 300,000 vaccines won’t be able to cover the entire education sector, the health department confirmed another consignment is due next week.

After the education sector, the security cluster, which consists of at least 145,000 members will be prioritised in the vaccination process.

Currently, Gauteng is the province that is most concerning, with the rate of infections already passing the numbers of the first and second waves.

As a result, the department of health has brought in military health officials who will start assisting under pressure healthcare workers from today.

“I want to appreciate the minister together with military health who have responded swiftly when we called them yesterday,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.

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“We will be able to release the capacity of the beds that have been held because there was no human capital. So they will assist us in terms of moving into the hospitals and into areas where we need healthcare practitioners to assist in managing cases. They will also help in mass testing and screening in communities and also contact tracing.”

The province will also be working with law enforcement to ensure adherence to Covid-19 regulations.

“The message I’m sending to South Africans who are not adhering is that you’re not only risking your life but also the lives of your loved ones, colleagues and friends. When you go to a protest march, you’re running and chanting and holding hands in the process, so you’re spreading this thing, especially in Gauteng.”

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While the ongoing closure of the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital is also contributing to the pressure in Gauteng, Kubayi-Ngubane said the department was working on bringing the hospital back in the coming weeks.