Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Taraba state government on Thursday took custody of fifty-six thousand, two hundred and fifty (56,250) doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government.
Dr Tijo Kenneth, Director Immunization and disease Control Taraba State disclosed this while handing over the vaccines to the permanent Secretary, Taraba State ministry of health Dr Ebenezer Apake and the Executive Secretary State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA).
Tijo said that the consignment of 56,250 Doses, also came with the same number of syringes, safety boxes and adhesive plasters to be used in administering the vaccine that is so far targeted especially at the frontline health workers in the state.
“We are happy that the vaccine is finally here and the health workers will heave a sigh of relief as we hope to get more for other vulnerable sections of the society” he noted.
The Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency SPHCDA Alhaji Amjnu Jauro Hassan noted that already two hundred and fifty six health workers who are to administer the vaccines have been trained and the agency was continuing with the training so that it is stepped down to all the wards across the state.
He noted that “the devastation of COVID-19 is alarming. Let us not let our guard down because we have gotten the vaccine. The vaccine will help us to go back to our normal life but let us not risk saying we have gotten the vaccine and so we can take chances. It is very important that we continue to respect the established COVID-19 global protocols that are known to check the spread of the virus even before the invention of the vaccine”.
Daily Sun reports that the occasion was witnessed by stakeholders in the health sector including CMD FMC, CMD SSHJ, PS MoH, SC WHO, UNICEF, SC NPHCDA, ICRC, State technical committee on Covid 19, Directors of SMoH, Directors of the SPHCDA, PErm Sec BLG& CA, ALGON, Members of the Press and others.