From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria is expecting to receive a total of 52 million doses of vaccines by the second quarter of 2022, the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, has disclosed.
Speaking at the national briefing of the PSC in Abuja on Monday, Mustapha who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said “The most potent way of getting out of this situation is through vaccines, which science and research have presented to us. I call on every eligible person to come out and be vaccinated.
“There are various choices now. We have AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and we expect Pfizer to be delivered very soon. There will be enough vaccines to go around soon.
By the second quarter of 2022, we would have received about 52 million doses of the vaccines.”
The SGF also said “efforts are ongoing to implement the policy on Vaccine Mandate for all Federal Public Servants. This is to ensure safety in the workplace and at home.”
On travels, he said: “To ease travels for fully vaccinated Nigerians, we are exploring the principles of reciprocity between Nigeria and other nations. For the time being, Nigerians are advised to always carry their vaccination card details or barcode on their electronic devices for easy access especially for those travelling outside the country.
“The ministries of Foreign Affairs and Aviation will continue to dialogue with the representatives of the UAE to resolve the issue of the Emirates flights between Nigeria and the UAE. The protection of the interest of Nigerians remains our primary focus.”
He also said the PSC would likely review current protocols laid down for quarantine as control remains a source of worry.
He said: “Compliance with protocols laid down for quarantine to ensure control remains a source of worry to the PSC. The need to review the protocol has become expedient to align with existing global protocols and realities.
“On this note, the PSC will adopt a sustainable model and policy that will be unveiled soon. To begin with, India has been removed from the list of flagged countries in view of improved situation in that country.”
Mustapha also called on the health workers to call off the ongoing strike, stating that “on the heels of Mr President’s intervention in the health sector, I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our Health workers to consider the health situation in our country and call off their strike while the government continues to look into all matters that will improve the system, processes and welfare.”