Dr Osagie Ehanire, Health Minister (FILE PHOTO)
The Federal Government has said two doses of COVID-19 vaccines is slowing down its strategy put in place to achieve large vaccination coverage due to some Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) after taking the first dose.
It said such strategy with acronyms SCALES stands for service delivery, communication, accountability, logistics, electronic reporting, and supportive supervision for the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination was introduced in November 2021 by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency(NPHCDA) to rapidly ramp up COVID-19 vaccine coverage by expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines outside the health facility.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire at the launch of ‘SCALES 2.0 Strategy With Use Single-Dose Johnson & Johnson Vaccine and Vaccination Site Finder’, pointed out that the SCALES strategy has proven to be quite effective in ramping up COVID-19 vaccination coverage but the proportion of fully vaccinated Nigerians is still very low, partly because Nigeria has been using two-dose vaccines.
The launch which was organised by the NPHCDA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health was themed “One Shot COVID-19 Vaccine for Everyone”
Ehanire maintained that It has become imperative that the government launch the SCALES 2.0 Strategy, which entails the integration of COVID-19 vaccination with childhood routine immunization for eligible adults 18 years and above and children zero to two years respectively, leveraging Mass Vaccination Campaigns, Routine Immunization Fixed sessions, Outreach services and Mobile services.
He said: “We are also formally rolling out the Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine while introducing the COVID-19 vaccination site finder.
“This means that all childhood vaccination, including administration of vitamin A, will now be done alongside COVID-19 vaccination at COVID-19 vaccination sites.
“Eligible children will now be able to receive their BCG, Penta 3, OPV 3, OPV 1&2, Measles, Yellow Fever vaccines, as well as Vitamin A supplement, at the sites where the adults receive COVID-19 vaccines. This is the good news we are bringing to Nigerians today.”
Ehanire further assured Nigerians that there is adequate stock of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, as there are over 30 million doses in stock.
“I call on all eligible persons that are yet to receive their vaccination to go to the nearest COVID-19 vaccination site and get vaccinated. This single dose offers the same protection you get from two doses of AstraZeneca, Pfizer Bio-N-Tech and Moderna vaccines.
“I encourage those who have received their first dose of AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer vaccines to ensure they take their second dose when due, to be fully vaccinated and protected.
“The SCALES 2.0 Strategy, the J&J roll out and the vaccination site finder, are great opportunities for Nigeria to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine coverage and reinvigorate Routine Immunization uptake.
“The federal government has provided all Nigerians with the opportunity to protect themselves and their loved ones against COVID-19, and also enjoy the ease of access to childhood immunization.
“Let me commend the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, for his continued innovative and exemplary leadership in vaccination and other primary health care (PHC) service delivery in Nigeria.
“As of 18th February, Nigeria has administered over 20million doses, representing over 18% of the 111,176,503 eligible population targeted for COVID-19 vaccination.
“We will continue to strengthen our vaccine security and accountability through the NPHCDA Joint Task Force on Vaccine Monitoring and Accountability.
“We will continue to engage with all stakeholders, partners, and communities, to ensure inclusiveness and transparency in decision making and other processes involved in COVID-19 vaccination and overall health care delivery in Nigeria,” he noted.
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