COVID-19: Ogun Threatens Unvaccinated Workers, Residents

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Ogun State Government yesterday declared that any residents of the state that fails to take his or her COVID-19 Vaccine before the end of this year risks being barred from government offices, schools, markets and public transport.

In order to enforce this, the government yesterday gave a 60- day ultimatum to unvaccinated residents of the state to obtain their COVID -19 vaccines as more vaccination centres, would be created.

The State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, handed down the ultimatum at the flag-off ceremony of COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign exercise in the state.

Abiodun said, the 60-day grace period was to allow unvaccinated residents take their jabs, as part of moves to flatten the curve of the virus.

The governor threatened that, any resident of the state who fails to provide his or her vaccination card after the 60 days grace period would not be allowed access into public schools, markets, government offices and public transportation services.

Abiodun disclosed that, the government is targeting to vaccinate 2 million residents of the state between now and December 2021.

He said:”We are going to give a window to allow for this vaccine and that window starts from today till the next 60 days. Anybody after sixty days that is not vaccinated will not be allowed in our offices, schools. Such person will not be allowed to do business with us. We will chase this person in our markets, you will be required to carry your vaccine cards with you at all time.

“This is my vaccination card for all those who want to see. If you don’t have a card like this, you will not come to our secretariat, we will not do business with you, we will not allow ‘Okada’ to carry you, we will not taxi to carry you, you will not be allowed in our Market. We will enforce this card, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.”

Abiodun disclosed that the state had increased vaccine centres from 131 to 509 to allow eligible residents have access to the vaccination.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker disclosed that, there are 5,370 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, while the state have recorded 80 COVID-19 related deaths.

In his remarks, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib disclosed that the Federal government is targeting the vaccination of 50 percent eligible population of Nigerians by the end of January 2022.

Shuaib revealed that as at September 2021, a total of 5,684,939 Nigerians had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 3,730,937 had been vaccinated with both first and second doses.

He said, the figures represented five per cent and 2.8 per cent of the targeted population of 200million Nigerians.

The NPHCDA Director disclosed that, the Federal Government had set up a taskforce working in conjunction with security agencies to curb corruption and fraud in the vaccination exercise.