Story from Musa GAMBO, Maiduguri

The Borno state Chairman of COVID-19 task force committee and Deputy Governor of Borno state, His Excellency Alhaji Usman Kadafir and some members of his committee have received the AstraZeneca vaccines at the Maiduguri International airport on behalf of the state on Tuesday around 9pm.

The vaccines were secured by the federal government last week and time table for the vaccination exercise priority have been released by the National Taskforce on Covid-19 led by the Secretary to the government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and delivery schedule for all states were made as well as the first line of people to be vaccinated.

It could be recalled that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice-president Professor Yemi Osinbanjo were the first people to be vaccinated in line of priority to demonstrate leadership and safety of the vaccines.

AstraZeneca vaccines is one of the COVID-19 vaccines approved by the world health organisation and the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and control Agency been the organisation solely charged with the responsibility of controlling Drugs in the country.

Nigeria received 3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.

This is the first batch supply of the over 16 million doses allocated to the country through the COVAX Facility, aimed at vaccinating about 20% of the country.

It is expected that an additional 42 million doses of approved vaccines would be received through the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team. There is however no specific timeline for the second batch.

Borno, like other states, also had people who have registered for the vaccination through the link provided by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and some are scheduled to receive their vaccines this week. It is, however, expected to be conducted in accordance with the national priority template that placed the forefront health workers and the elderly as the first people in line to receive the vaccines.

Although the vaccines have elicited mixed reactions in people, residents who spoke exclusively to NEPTUNE PRIME expressed happiness and hope with the development and willingness to receive the vaccines as scheduled for them through the text message automatic replies.

Prospective people are to register online on the website of the NPHDA to be scheduled for vaccination at the nearest centres.

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