The vaccination programme for the education sector, which was due to end on July 8, has been extended for a few days to July 14, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced.
The DBE said the extension was necessary as some education sector staff were not available for the vaccination jabs during the initial set period, from June 23 to July 8.
“The extension will enable the sector to vaccinate more people but also to mop up where some sites experienced some technical challenges resulting in delays,” the DBE said in a statement.
As of July 9, 437 386 educators and schools support staff had been vaccinated with the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The initial target was 582 564.
The sector said it has observed a strong demand for the vaccine in recent days. According to the DBE, provinces reported that more and more people were coming forward seeking to be vaccinated with more than 200 000 more people having been added to the list of staff to be vaccinated.
To fast-track the vaccination and ensure that the drive works more efficiently, the DBE and Department of Health have agreed to:
- The use of paper forms for the recording of the DBE staff who cannot be located on the DBE database.
- For the DBE project, paper records can now be used in a controlled environment.
- DBE staff to be present at all sites– their role would be to confirm individuals who come for vaccination that are from the Education sector and are therefore eligible for vaccination.
- If the person is not located on the database but can be confirmed by a DBE staff member, the person can be vaccinated using the paper form process.