April 16, 2021

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) on Friday reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to get every eligible Nigerian vaccinated against COVID-19.

Mr. Bawa Abba, National Supervisor for Adamawa COVID-19 Vaccination, NPHCDA, spoke in Yola, Adamawa, on the sideline of a three-day “Media Dialogue On Routine Immunisation, Post Polio Certification and COVID-19 Vaccination”.

The meeting was organised by The Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with the UNICEF.

According to Abba, while the FG is putting efforts to make COVID-19 vaccines available and ensure that Nigerians get vaccinated, no fewer than two million Nigerians have so far been vaccinated accross states and the Federal Capital Territory with the Astrazeneca vaccine.

However, he noted that the official server of the NPHCDA may put the figure at 1,051, 096, as at Thursday April 15, 2021 but that the current number of eligible vaccinated persons with the facility have crossed two million.

”We have two sources of data. We have the call in-data which is data that we received at the facility level.

“We have the one in the NPHCDA server. We are working on uploading the remaining data from the facility levels.

“These are raw data from the field that has not been processed. The difference is currently being processed,” he said.

He further disclosed that states that have covered 50 per cent of their populations have been directed to halt vaccination (stop) at the moment.

“This is to ensure vaccine availability for those who are required to take the second dose of the Astrazeneca vaccine, also adding that, government was currently giving priority to intending pilgrims,” he said.

According to him, without receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, an intending pilgrim will not be allowed to go for pilgrimage.

“And if you are given a brand of vaccine that we don’t have in Nigeria, it might really be a problem when you come to Nigeria.”

Abba also noted that whenever the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine comes into the country, it would complement the AstraZeneca vaccine.

On the suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the U.S. Abba said that there were always side effects which varied from person to person for every vaccine or drug administered on people.

He said that from NPHCDA observation so far, the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, had picked up in spite initial hesitance to the vaccine by members of the public. (NAN)