FG Commences Second Phase Of COVID-19 Vaccination With 40,739 Trained Personnel, Targets Riverine, Desert Areas

As the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination commences in the country, the federal government says as a matter of strategic approach, it has trained and equipped about 40,739 state level officials consisting health workers and partners for the project.

This is even as it expresses gratitude to the Government of the United States for the donation of 4,000,080 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which was received in the country on August 1st, 2021

Addressing newsmen at the flag off exercise in Abuja on Monday, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer National Primary Health Care Department Agency, NPHCDA Dr. Faisal Shuaib said the country has equally received the first tranche of 177,600 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, adding that it is part of the almost 40 million doses the Federal Government has procured from the Africa-Export-Import (AFREXIM) Bank through the African Union, balance of which will be delivered in coming weeks.

According to Dr. Shuaib, the 177,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which is a one dose effective vaccine, will be focused on those who live in the hard-to-reach areas such as riverine areas, desert areas, mountainous areas and security-compromised areas as well as the elderly.

This he explained is because they are people who may find it difficult to leave their homes to the health facility for second dose vaccination, as obtainable in AstraZeneca vaccine.

Dr. Shuaib revealed that the country will also receive another dose of AstraZeneca vaccine to enable those who are due for the second vaccine take part in the exercise.

“We will also be receiving today 698,880 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a donation from the UK Government through the COVAX facility. These doses will be targeted at those that are due for their 2nd dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. In the next couple of weeks, we will be expecting up to 3.9million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines to complement what we already have and to ensure that we cover not only those who will be taking their 2nd AstraZeneca vaccine but also for those who will want to take their first dose of this vaccine.

“As a result of the leadership provided by the Presidential Steering Committee and the Federal Ministry of Health, NPHCDA in collaboration with our partners have mapped out the best strategies in targeting different segments of our populations because of the differences in vulnerability, age, and geographical constraints.”

He further assured Nigerians that the vaccines being procured have undergone safety test by relevant authorities even in Nigeria, urging them to make themselves available to be vaccinated and ignore mischief makers who may fabricate falsehoods to deter them from taking part in the process.

“We are fully aware that because Nigeria has started receiving different brands of COVID-19 vaccine, a lot of questions and concerns are being raised on what brand differences would mean to the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. We are also aware that mischief makers are still around the corner to take advantage in crafting false information to mislead people on the vaccination. I want to assure Nigerians that all brands of COVID-19 vaccine used in Nigeria are certified by NAFDAC as safe and effective especially against the Delta variant” he said.

While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for his fatherly role in ensuring that all Nigerians are protected against COVID-19, Dr. Shuaib also applauded health workers for their professionalism, dedication and resilience despite the pressure of disinformation from within and outside the country.