State governors and their deputies are to take the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine next Wednesday (March 10).
Dr Kayode Fayemi, the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Ekiti, disclosed this at a virtual news conference on Thursday.
Fayemi said that the vaccination was part of resolutions made by the governors during an emergency virtual meeting held on Thursday. The NGF chairman read a communique issued by the governors at the end of the meeting. He said that the vaccination would be done publicly.
Fayemi said the governors would enlighten more Nigerians on the need to take the vaccine, which, he said, was safe. He expressed the governors’ commitment to work with the Federal Government to ensure that the required cold chain would be set up for the vaccine.
The governor encouraged citizens to use the e-registration portal on the National Primary Health Care Development Agency website – nphcsaict.com.ng/publicreg – to register for vaccination.
He said that Mr Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, at the meeting, briefed the governors on the 3.92m doses of the vaccine received by Nigeria on Tuesday.
He disclosed that the leadership and frontline health workers would be the first to receive the vaccine as from March 6, beginning with President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
Fayemi gave the assurance that the vaccine was researched to be safe for persons up to 18 years.
The meeting also attended by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu; Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, and other medical experts.