The National Association of Schools union requests that employees in schools and kindergartens get priority for the flu vaccine. Several municipalities are now starting to run out of the flu vaccine.
“Schools and kindergartens cannot tolerate a new wave of absences due to influenza, on top of all the corona-related absences,” union leader Anne Finborud in the National Association of Schools noted in a press release.
Due to the corona outbreak, many employees in schools and kindergartens have to stay away from work due to corona symptoms, quarantine, or isolation.
Finborud says that it is already demanding to cover for these absences and that schools and kindergartens will struggle even more if there are more holes to fill due to the seasonal flu.
The National Association of Schools believes that employees in the education sector perform socially critical tasks.
1,2 million doses
The National Institute of Public Health (FHI) managed to obtain 1.2 million doses of influenza vaccine this year, but this only covers two thirds of the demand.
Thus, it has been decided that people in the risk groups and employees in the health care system must be given priority.
“We are aware that many municipalities are starting to run out of vaccines. The National Association of Schools believes that employees in schools and kindergartens must be part of the target group, i.e., that teachers are prioritized if they want to take the vaccine. And they should get it for free,” Finborud said.
She further pointed out that the one-meter rule does not apply in schools, so the staff runs a significant risk of being infected by the flu.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
Be the first to comment on "National Association of Schools wants teachers to be prioritized for flu vaccine"