1st dose taken by 80% school staff: Govt

New Delhi, September 2

Around 80 per cent teaching and non-teaching staff employed in schools across the country have received at least the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, officials of the Ministry of Education said on Thursday.

“Among the variety of factors that will contribute to the reopening of schools across the county, vaccination of teachers will have a big contribution. The ministry is rigorously following up with the state governments. The initial feedback from the states/UTs is very positive,” a senior ministry official said.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) had on Tuesday asked all the states/ UTs to update data on vaccination of teachers twice a week on a Google tracker. When asked if the government would soon allow states to reopen schools for all classes, the official replied, “There are many variables, including the extent of positivity rate, hospitalisation and the extent of vaccination, that will determine the complete or graded reopening of schools.”

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had last Wednesday said more than two crore additional Covid-19 vaccine doses were being made available to states this month, and they had been asked to vaccinate all schoolteachers on priority before Teacher’s Day on September 5. — PTI