The Union of the University Workers has asked officially the Albanian government to include the academic and support staff of the Albanian universities in the list of the groups that will have a priority to get a vaccine. In the letter addressed to Prime Minister Rama, to the Minister of Health Ogerta Manastirliu and to the Minister of Education, Evis Kushi, the Union motivated its request by saying that the universities need to return back to the auditoriums as soon as possible, considering the negative impacts the online education is having on the quality of the academic process, especially for those students who are enrolled in practical disciplines, such as medical students.
At the other hand, the staff of the universities stated that their group is among the most exposed to the virus, due to the daily contact with the students. According to the Union, during the last fall, many professors got infected, and some of them passed away due to COVID-19. Considering that the total number of the professors is around 5,000, and only half of them is above the age of 45 years old, the Union believes that it is quite achievable the goal of vaccinating the professors, in order to restart normally the academic year.
