Nigeria commenced its COVID-19 vaccination today as a medical doctor, Dr. Cyprian Igong, of the National Hospital, Abuja, received a jab of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.
Ngong Cyprian, therefore becomes the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.
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The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, had yesterday announced that Nigeria will commence the vaccination against COVID-19 today.
Nigeria received its first shipment of 3,924,000 doses of the vaccines on Tuesday from COVAX, a World Health Organisation (WHO)-backed initiative set up to procure and ensure equitable distribution of vaccines for free among countries across the world.
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Dr. Shuaib told journalists on Thursday in Abuja that frontline health workers would be the first set of persons to be vaccinated at the National Hospital in Abuja and that President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would take the vaccines on Saturday.
Dr Cyprian has been a frontline health worker since March 2020 – days after the first case of the disease was reported in the country.
He also said that ministers and other members of the Federal Executive Council would be vaccinated on Monday.
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Speaking on the willingness of Nigerians to take the vaccine, Dr. Shuaib said that about 50 percent of Nigerians had indicated interest in taking the vaccine, while only 25 percent were still not decided if they would take the vaccine.
Photo Credit: Channels Television/ Sodiq Adelakun
