… FG protects Nigerians from Indian variant, bars flights from India, Turkey Brazil into Nigeria
By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib has disclosed that already 1, 929,237 Nigerians have been vaccinated with the 1st dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during the first phase of the exercise.
Shuaib made this known in Abuja yesterday at the press briefing on the COVID- 19 vaccine update in the country.
He said, ” We have now provided first COVID-19 vaccine doses to a total number of 1,929,237 Nigerians representing 96% of the targeted population.”
According to the NPHCDA boss the second dose of vaccination has begun with 4,683 Nigerians already reached, as he called on those who have received the first dose to check their cards to ensure they get the second dose for full protection against the deadly virus.
He promised that the agency will not relent in creating awareness through communication and mobilization activities to ensure that people get accurate information about COVID- 19 vaccination.
“Our goal is to do everything possible to educate, combat misinformation, and ensure confidence in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, and to ensure all Nigerians have clear information on how, where, and when to get the vaccine through continuous engagement and communication with communities across our country.”
Meanwhile he said that owing to the global vaccine supply challenge presently Nigeria does not have clarity on the next supply of the COVID- 19 vaccine.
Speaking on the possibility of Nigeria having access to other brands of the COVID- 19, he disclosed that just recently Pfizer and BioNTech have pledged to provide 1 billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to low-and-middle income countries by the end of 2021, and another 1 billion doses in 2022.
Johnson & Johnson also announced it has signed a deal to provide 200 million doses of its vaccine to Covax.
Furthermore, as a way of eradicating the viral pandemic from countries Dr. Shuaib said by that the International Monetary Fund is already advocating for a $50 billion fund to be spent on ensuring a faster rollout of COVID-19 vaccines globally and also calling for at least 40% of the global population to be vaccinated by the end of this year, and at least 60% by June 2022.
” The fund would be used to increase COVAX vaccine coverage, procure additional tests, and expand vaccine production capacity. We strongly endorse the creation of such a fund, and emphasize that all nations must have comparable access to COVID-19 vaccines in order to end this pandemic.”
To boost vaccine supply , the United States announced it will donate 20 million vaccine doses by the end of June to the COVAX scheme, he disclosed
To protect Nigerians against B.1.617.2, known as the Indian variant, Dr. Shuaib announced that the Federal Government have barred flights from India and other high-risk countries such as Turkey and Brazil from entering Nigeria.
He enjoined Nigerians to continue to observe the Public Health or non-pharmaceutical measures to curb the transmission of Covid-19, as to the pandemic is still here.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Dr. Peter Hawkins at the update briefing commended Nigeria for vaccinating 1.9 Nigerians in less than three months.
Hawkins called on traditional, religious and community leaders to encourage their people to step forward to be vaccinated, adding that to protect oneself is to protect one’s family and communities.
He said, ” We hope that by the end of this year we will be able to vaccinate 40,000 people and by 2022 the remaining 60,000 to make up the vaccinated population”, adding that this requires a lot of social mobilization and collective efforts to protect the nation.
