FG to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine roll-out to reach 50% of targeted population – NPHCDA

Nov. 19, 2021

The Executive Director/CEO of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, has disclosed that Nigeria has received over 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX, African Union, other countries which he said was sufficient to ramp up vaccination for about 50 per cent of the targeted population.

Speaking at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on the Status of the country’s COVID-19 Vaccine roll-out, Dr Shuaib noted that the total eligible population of Nigerians for the vaccine is over 111 million, he added.

“Given the availability of vaccines, we have started rolling out a plan to vaccinate 50 percent of Nigerians, 18 years and above by January 31st, 2022,” the NPHCDA DG said, adding that there would be a scaling up of over 3,000 health facilities nationwide.

Meanwhile in his presentation to the Council on State performance report on COVID-19, the Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa said Nigerians must continue to maintain and sustain the COVID-19 response, especially as it enters the holiday period where there will be anticipated travels within and outside the country, as well as mass events to herald the holiday season.

Adetifa said the country should “maintain visibility of the outbreak by testing, continuing to encourage adherence to public health and social measures, encourage vaccination and address vaccine hesitancy.”

He noted that 62 deaths were reported in the past week due to backlogs from Edo State, while the test positivity rate in Nigeria is at 1.2%.

While Lagos’ contribution to caseload declined (10%), case fatality ratio (CFR) increased from 1.4% in week 44 to 14.3% in week 45.

The DG, NCDC however noted that the Delta variant of the COVID-19 is still the dominant strain of concern in the country.