FG: 4.7m Eligible Nigerians Have Received First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

Onyebuchi Ezigbo

Federal government has put the number of people that have recieved the first dose of COVID19 vaccine at 4,734,769 as at Sunday, September 26.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib who gave the update on Monday at the biweekly media briefing by the Presidential Steering Commitee on COVID19 in Abuja, said that number of persons so far vaccinated represents 4.2 percent of the 111,776,503 eligible population in the country meant to be vaccinated.

He said: Our data as of yesterday – 26th September 2021 shows that 4,734,769 eligible people in Nigeria have received their first dose of COVID vaccine. This comprises of 3,040,000 with first dose AstraZeneca and 1,694,769 with the first dose of Moderna. This represents 4.2% of the 111,776,503 eligible population who are targeted to receive full doses of the vaccines for Nigeria to reach herd immunity. Out of the total vaccinated, 1,892,092 eligible persons have received their second dose of which 1,825,739 have been fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca while 66,353 eligible persons have been fully vaccinated with Moderna”.

Shuaib advised eligible Nigerians to go and take the vaccine, adding that Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind.

“We must understand the urgency of the need to control COVID-19 if we really want to fully recover from its social and economic impacts,” he said.

He also said that the agency plans to gradually involve the private sector as sites for COVID-19 vaccination.
“We would be doing it systematically and in phases, while ensuring vaccine supply and utilization are carefully supervised and monitored to mitigate against sharp practices. Expanding to the private sector help to further increase access to the vaccines.

“On the issue of vaccine card racketeering, let me reiterate my earlier warning to unscrupulous elements in our society attempting to fraudulently acquire COVID-19 cards without receiving the vaccine. Buying and selling of COVID-19 vaccines and cards is a criminal offence in Nigeria,” he said.