Teachers Call For Priority Vaccination As Delta Variant Spreads

Image:Shutterstock: Halfpoint

As cities across Australia go into lockdown, teachers are raising concerns about the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in classrooms.

Five students from Sydney’s Eastern suburbs have now been infected with the virus, contradicting advice given early in the pandemic that it’s very rare for children to get COVID-19.

But Burnet Institute epidemiologist Professor Mike Toole says the virus isn’t just more infectious among children, it’s more infectious across the board.

Because of that, teachers are asking the federal government to include them in the priority rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Wire contacted the Federal Department of Health, but they were unable to respond prior to going to air.

Produced By: Zac de Silva

Featured In Story: Correna Haythorpe, Federal President of the Australian Education Union, Carol Matthews, Acting Secretary of the Independent Education Union of Australia, NSW/ACT branch, and Professor Mike Toole, Epidemiologist at the Burnet Institute

First aired on The Wire, Monday 28 June 2021