FG, commissioners meet over sharing of 3.9million vaccine doses today
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has convened a meeting with commissioners for health in the 36 states as part of efforts to ensure effective sharing and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine.
The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nimkong Lar, and his counterpart in Cross River State, Dr Betta Edu, who disclosed this in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Wednesday, said the meeting would hold in Abuja on Thursday (today).
It was gathered that some commissioners met the Federal Government officials on Wednesday over the distribution of the vaccine.
Nigeria on Tuesday received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the third African country to benefit from the COVAX facility after Ghana and Ivory Coast.
COVAX, an initiative co-led by the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI and the World Health Organisation. seeks to ensure equitable access to a COVID-19 vaccine by dividing about two billion doses across 92 low-and middle-income countries.
While receiving the vaccine on behalf of the Federal Government, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had said, “The consignment of the vaccine is just 3.924 million doses of the expected 16 million doses from the COVAX Facility.”
Recall that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency had on Monday commenced online registration of Nigerians interested in taking COVID-19 vaccination.
Confirming the meeting to one of our correspondents on Wednesday, the Plateau State commissioner for health said, “As I am talking to you, I am on my way to Abuja for a meeting with the minister of health. All the commissioners for health in the 36 states will also be there for the meeting on Thursday (tomorrow).”
When asked the number of doses that would be allocated to the state, Lar stated, “I won’t be able to give you that figure for now until after the meeting tomorrow(Thursday).
“When we get our own allocation, I am sure we will start the vaccination starting with people that are at the high risk of contracting the virus, especially frontline health workers and the aged.”
Also, the Cross River State commissioner for health, in a chat with The PUNCH, confirmed that the meeting would hold on Thursday (today).
She disclosed that she would attend the meeting with the minister of health and that the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to states would top the agenda.
Edu stated, “The discussion tomorrow is the distribution of the vaccines and the inauguration.”
But the Delta State Commissioner for Health Dr Mordi Ononye, in a telephone with The PUNCH, said that the state planned to vaccinate three million people.
According to him, the vaccination will begin with the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and frontline health workers.
Ononye, said, “You know Delta State has over four million people, so, we are expected to vaccinate about three million Deltans.”
In Benue State, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Joseph Ngbea, said the state would begin the training of 46 primary health care workers.
He also said the vaccination would start with the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, and his deputy, Benson Abounu as well as members of their families.
The commissioner stated, “We are starting training of workers tomorrow (Thursday). It is when we meet that we look at the people that will take the vaccine.
“We must ensure that every local government has cold chain and we will train the health officials; two primary health care officers from each local government area.” There are 23 local government areas in the state.
