Lara Adejoro
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency says it would consolidate on the success of Polio eradication in Nigeria to make COVID-19 vaccination a successful effort.
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said this in a post on the Twitter handle of NPHCDA @NphcdaNG on Wednesday.
Shuaib said the agency will engage the traditional, religious leaders and community-based organisations to ensure everyone is vaccinated.
According to him, the polio eradication experience will be valuable towards making the COVID-19 vaccination a successful effort.
“We are going to be relying heavily on all the efforts that led us to eradicate Polio in Nigeria.
“We will be engaging traditional and religious leaders and community-based organizations to ensure everyone in communities get vaccinated.
“I am optimistic that the experience we have from polio eradication will be valuable towards making this a successful effort,” he tweeted.
Earlier, in a video posted on COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, he said the agency is working with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to engage the COVAX Facility, which is a global entity that is led by the World Health Organisation.
He said the COVAX Facility aims to ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for countries such as Nigeria.
“One thing that is paramount to us is the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
“This is why we’re working with NAFDAC to make sure that all processes are followed to certify that the vaccines are safe and effective.
“We also have the right cold chain equipment from the national level, to the states and local government areas that will ensure that the vaccines are kept in a temperature environment that is guaranteed to keep the vaccines potent,” he said.
On COVID-19 vaccination, Shuaib added that frontline health workers, the elderly, and those with diseases apart from COVID-19 will be prioritised.
“Once they get the vaccines, other members of the population will get the vaccines as well,” he said.
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