From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has taken the first shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the state.
The governor assured the people of the state that the vaccine is safe for use.
He said the state received a total of 73,570 doses of the vaccines from the federal government on Tuesday.
The governor said that in line with the guidelines laid down by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the eligible population for the COVID-19 vaccination are citizens aged 18 years and above including pregnant women.
Governor Akeredolu disclosed that the vaccination exercise will be rolled out in four phases, adding that the first recipients will be front-line health workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, laboratory network, petrol station workers, policemen, and strategic leadership.
‘In phase two, the recipients will be older adults aged 50 years and above; those with co-morbidities aged 18-49 years.
‘Phase three will be those in Local Government Areas with high disease burden who missed Phases one and two, while Phase four will be for other eligible people as vaccines become more available,’ the governor stated.
He assured that the state Cold Chain is fully functional and ready to receive and properly store the COVD-19 vaccines.
‘Furthermore, to be able to partake of the COVID-19 vaccination, an e-registration link has been created for eligible Nigerians to register. You will be able to put in your details and choose a convenient place and time where you wish to be vaccinated,’ he added.
