Country Needs Extra Hands for COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

By: Zilungile Mkhize

Higher Education Blade Nzimande has confirmed that health science students and frontline campus healthcare workers will be prioritised in phase 1 of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.

The country’s first batch of the vaccines is expected to arrive from India before this month is over.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that healthcare workers from both public and private sectors will be the first to be vaccinated as their job places them directly on the frontline at the pandemic.

In his keynote address during a Higher Health with different education stakeholders on how to manage the second wave of COVID-19 with the post-school sector, Nzimande said he had instructed Higher Health, the agency of his department, to create a PSET strategy that is aligned with and supports the department of health’s phased national strategy and coordinate its subsequent roll-out.

Nzimande adds that the country needs extra hands to support the National Department of Health as it will be impossible for 14 million people to be vaccinated by one department.