The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has disclosed that 14,093,873 eligible Nigerians have received their first dose of covid-19 vaccine as opposed to the 50 million target.
Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib disclosed this on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 in a press briefing in Abuja.
TheFact Nigeria recalls that Director, Planning, Research and Statistics NPHCDA, Dr. Garba Abdullahi had earlier stated in a press briefing in Abuja that with the decentralisation of covid-19 vaccination sites, at least 50 million eligible Nigerians would be vaccinated by January, 2022.
To cover the huge gap, the Federal government has said it would integrate the vaccination campaign with childhood immunisation and other Primary Health Care services.
Shuaib explained that henceforth, childhood vaccines would also be available at Covid-19 vaccination sites so as to avail parents or guardians with children aged 0 to 23 months to take them along to the vaccination sites.
He said the childhood vaccines protect against polio, whooping cough, measles, yellow fever, tetanus, tuberculosis, and other childhood preventable diseases.
The NPHCDA Boss explicated that the
vaccination exercise was expanded to enable all eligible persons have easier access and that vaccination sites we’re open to eligible persons, 18 years and above for first, second and booster doses.
He therefore urged all Nigerians to avail themselves of the opportunity in the on-going mass vaccination exercise to get vaccinated against Covid-19, reiterating that this will prevents severe disease, hospitalisation and death.
