From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government, on Friday, 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.
A brief ceremony to herald the commencement of the exercise took place at the Trauma Centre, at National Hospital, Abuja, with officials of the Federal Government in attendance.
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.
Nigeria, on Tuesday, March 2 took delivery of four million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 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.
Information from the PTF indicated that on Saturday, March 6, President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, would receive the vaccine.
Meanwhile Dr. Cyprian Ngong, a family Physician working at the National Hospital, Abuja, was administered the first dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, making him the first person to take the COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria.
Few other health workers, including Dr. Joseph Nuru, Eragbai Faith and Dr. Tahir Yunusa also took the vaccine.
Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, administered the vaccine to Dr. Ngong, at a brief ceremony to herald the commencement of the vaccination exercise in Abuja.
He commended Dr. Ngong and several other health care workers who have been working tirelessly at different COVID-19 isolation centres since March 2020, providing counsel and treatment to COVID-19 patients.