Administration of COVID-19 Booster Jabs Begins Friday

Administration of COVID-19 Booster Jabs Begins Friday

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Following the detection of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the federal government said that it had reviewed the country’s vaccination programme and resolved to introduce the booster dose using the Pfizer Bio-N-Tech vaccine across the country starting from Friday.
Speaking at the flag-off of COVID-19 mass vaccination of refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons at Waru internally displaced persons camp, Abuja held on Thursday, Executive Director of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Fraisal Shuaib said that evidence had shown that the booster dose further increases protection against the virus.
He said that vaccines will be accessible in all public, primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities, private health facilities, worship centres, schools, markets, motor parks, shopping malls, in order to fast track social and economic recovery from COVID-19.
NPHCDA boss assured that there were sufficient doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the mass vaccination campaign.
“Eligibility for the booster dose includes being 18 years and above, fully vaccinated with either two doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer Bio-N-Tech or a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The time interval before the booster dose is at least six months for these vaccines, except the Johnson and Johnson which is at least two months.
“This is another opportunity to be further protected. I therefore urge all those who have taken the right decision to be fully vaccinated, to walk into the nearest vaccination site for their booster dose as from tomorrow,” he said.
Shuaib also gave situation report on the vaccination exercise, saying: as at, “Thursday December 9th 2021, 7,361,810 Nigerians have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and this represents 6.6% of the eligible population. 3,846,762 eligible Nigerians have received their second doses and are fully vaccinated against the virus representing 3.4% of the eligible population”.

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