By Goitsemang Tlhabye 
Aug 13, 2021
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Pretoria – Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) is assisting the municipality’s vaccination efforts by making its site available for all eligible people to get their jabs.
The university acquired the vaccination accreditation on July 20.
It indicated that through the efforts of its multidisciplinary task team set up in March, it managed to put in place procedures and mechanisms to keep infections at the institution at bay.
In fact, the university said as of this month, it had only picked up eight cases of infections from six staff members and two students.
Manager for safety, health and environment, Willem Ruurd van der Wal, explained that as part of the bid to ensure the university was able to recover as quickly and efficiently as possible and avert interruptions of the academic programme, a number of efforts had been made by the task team.
These included staff and students receiving two cloth masks, and a 125ml sanitiser bottle that could be refilled when needed from any of the 20-litre containers available from the free sanitiser stands placed across the campus.
He said the sanitiser supplied was being produced by the Technology Station in Chemicals at the institution’s Ga-Rankuwa campus.
Additional activities by the university include ensuring that all 17 of the institution’s campuses and 31 residences were cleaned and disinfected, including communal areas and individual offices.
Dr Annah Sefolosha, head of Student Health and Wellness, said the task team had ensured the university managed outbreaks by making sure that they determined the index cases’ likelihood of onward transmission, determining the contacts, and paying attention to those who shared classes, transportation and residences.
At the same time, they identified contacts of the second generation of cases including quarantine, management and the testing.
Sefolosha said, however, that in instances of larger outbreaks and an apparent epicentre of infections, it may become necessary to temporarily close a facility or residence to gain control of it.
Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela, who received his vaccine at the TUT site yesterday, commended the institution for its efforts in managing infection outbreaks and its bid to curb further instances of cases.
Manamela said he was aware men were reportedly hesitant to vaccinate, hence it was important to do the work to encourage them to come along as part of the solution.
“We will have to do as much work as possible to ensure that men do vaccinate, and also deal with the many myths surrounding vaccination.”
Manamela said there were many myths about vaccines, from them causing deaths to affecting sexual performance and being for 5G control stories.
“I am not participating in vaccinating as an obligation as a minister, but I am doing so because it is the right thing to do, not only for my health but for those around me.”
He added he was also happy the institution had included students in the Health Sciences and student leaders in taking part in assisting with the workload that needed to be done, especially if the university was to push to achieve at least 1 000 vaccinations a day come September, when institutions resume lessons.