Story from Najib Sani, Bauchi

Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Baba Tela has called on the people of the state not to be afraid of the coronavirus vaccine but to embrace it, saying that vaccination was the surest way of avoiding the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Tela made this call on Wednesday, after receiving 80,570 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines out of the 150,000 allocated to the State by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) at the cold store of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH).

Neptune Prime reports that, after receiving the vaccines, the Deputy Governor confirmed that a total of 150,000 vaccines were allocated to the state, saying that the 80,570 received was part of the total allocation to the state by the Federal Government.

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Tela, who doubles as the chairman of the State Task Force Committee on COVID-19 and Lassa Fever, informed that priority attention would be given to frontline health workers, government officials, security, traditional and religious leaders in the administration of the first batch of the vaccines in the state.

According to him, vaccination would commence on Thursday, assuring of the potency of the vaccine, having been approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“The vaccine is potent; it has been administered across the world and all those who took it are doing well. WHO has approved it, therefore, we in Bauchi are ready to take it,” the deputy governor declared.

He also revealed that Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed would lead other top government functionaries to take the vaccine, after which others in the legislature and security would be vaccinated.

Tela further informed that subsequently, the vaccine would be taken to all the 20 local government areas and 323 wards in the state, adding that frontline health workers and other vulnerable people including the aged would be vaccinated.

According to the Executive Director of Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BASPHCDA), Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, the vaccines were delivered to the Bauchi government in Plateau state at about 7:30 pm on late Tuesday night.

Speaking with journalists, Dr. Mohammed said that the 80,570 doses of the COVID -19 vaccine received were about half of what was expected, saying that 150,000 vaccines were initially allocated to Bauchi state for the first dose.

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