From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) confirmed that on Thursday that 1.051, 096 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to health care workers and others in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination exercise.
NPHCDA spokesman, Mohammed Ohitoto, in a statement released in Abuja, stated that the data which was pulled out from the electronic dashboard of the vaccination exercise domiciled at the NPHCDA represents 52.2 per cent of the targeted population expected to receive the vaccine.
Expectedly, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, FCT and Ogun, are top on the table as regard states with high vaccination record; while Abia, Taraba, Kogi and Ebonyi are at the bottom of the table.
Nigeria, on Tuesday, 2nd March, took delivery of four million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine which is the first batch of expected vaccines ahead of the commencement of the vaccination exercise to Nigerians after several “delays” and shift in arrival date, perhaps, as a result of failed logistics arrangements or other unforeseen circumstances that might had elongated the arrival of the vaccine.
The vaccines arrived Nigeria through the collective efforts of GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with UNICEF as a key implementing partner.
Few days after, Federal Government flagged off COVID-19 vaccination exercise in Abuja, with the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine to few health care workers at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Brief ceremony to herald the commencement of the exercise took place at the Trauma Centre, at National Hospital, Abuja, with impressive representation of the officials of the Federal Government.
Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, Ministers of Health, FCT and several others including representatives of donor partners attended the event.
At about 11: 05am, Dr. Cyprian Ngong, a family Physician, Senior Registrar at National Hospital, Abuja, was administered the first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, marking the historic commencement of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria.
Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, administered the vaccine to Dr. Ngong, who was deeply commended for being one of doctors that worked at one of the isolation centres since March 2020 giving treatment to COVID-19 patients.