FG reopens vaccination for first dose

The Federal government on Tuesday reopened vaccination for the first dose for people yet to get vaccinated.
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, stated this, adding that anyone that is 18 years and above who has not been vaccinated should visit the nearest vaccination site for the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to him, the second dose of such persons will be due in 12 weeks and by then Nigeria would have received the next consignment of vaccines.
He made this known at a press conference to update Nigerians on the COVID-19 vaccination on Tuesday in Abuja, adding, “We have been inundated with a request by Nigerians to be vaccinated.”
He urged all Nigerians who had received their first dose at least six weeks ago to visit the nearest vaccination site to receive their second dose, for full protection against COVID-19 on or before 25th.
Shuaib said, “Our dedicated teams continue to make strides in the vaccine rollout, working hand in hand with the local communities all across Nigeria. As of today, we have administered 1,978,808 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 680,345 second doses.
“I will once again remind those listening that we are advising that all Nigerians who have received their first dose to check their vaccination cards for the date of their first dose and ensure that they receive the second dose between 6 – 12 weeks after their 1st dose to gain full protection against COVID-19. Please note that in some cases the location of your second dose may be different from your first dose, so please be sure to confirm this.
“We now have information that Nigeria will get 3.92 million doses of Oxford/Astrazeneca by end of July or early August. As we receive additional information on the exact dates in August, we will provide an update regarding timelines and details of this.”
Quoting a recent research from Public Health England, he said the Indian (Delta) variant B.1.617.2 was 92 per cent susceptible to Oxford/Astrazeneca.
He stated, “It is therefore comforting to know that the vaccine used in Nigeria can protect against this variant that caused high morbidity and mortality in India. However, it underscores the need for us to ramp up our vaccination to more Nigerians.
“We have held town hall meetings in North Central and NorthEast zones across our country. While efforts to ensure supply of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria are ongoing, the Presidential Steering Committee this week will be having our planned South-South Zonal Town Hall Meeting with stakeholders and the larger communities on COVID-19 vaccination in Benin, Edo State.”