COVID-19 vaccine: Ogun commences inoculation of frontline health workers, citizens in PHCs

The Ogun State Government has commenced the inoculation of frontline health workers, citizens at all the major Primary Healthcare Centres in the State on Thursday.

A statement issued in Abeokuta by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin said the need to ensure even, equitable and unhindered access to the vaccine informed the decision to take the vaccines to all the Primary Healthcare centres.

The statement noted that all the nurses and other community healthcare workers are being trained in the administration of the vaccines.

The statement had it that the training is in compliance with the directives of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

The state according to Somorin had been training and retraining frontline healthcare workers and community healthcare givers since the outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020.

“Our PHCs are ready and no stone will be left unturned to ensure that every Ogun resident is inoculated against the dreaded virus, even as we intensify sensitisation on the need to keep all the guidelines and protocols, like the use of face masks, social distancing and regular washing of hands with soap and water and sanitisers at regular intervals, among others.

“The government is determined to ensure that all residents across the state have access to the vaccine in line with the guidelines of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). More doses of the vaccines are going to be made available beyond the first tranche that was given by the World Health Organization and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19,” he said.

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said all health workers in the state would be vaccinated.

“We have started vaccinating health care workers and other staff in the state. Those who received the first dose of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine today will be receiving another dose after three months,” Coker said.

The Commissioner added that the first batch of vaccines arrived in Ogun State on Monday comprising of 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccines allocated to the State by the Federal Government, saying we have priorities to cover front line health care workers across the State.

“Ogun is the first in the country to receive the vaccines and we have started inoculating front line, healthcare workers. We have identified the State Hospitals with cold chain facilities to store the vaccines,” Coker disclosed.

The commissioner said as of Wednesday, Ogun State’s COVID-19 case tally stands at over 4,495 including at least 48 deaths and more than 4184 recoveries adding that more vaccines would be delivered to the State when another batch of the 16million doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine procured by the Federal Government arrive in the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Nafiu Aigoro, described the vaccines as very safe, adding that healthcare workers and members of the public should avail themselves of the opportunity to be vaccinated.

The Chief Medical Director of State Hospital Ijaye, Dr. Kayode Oladenide, after receiving the vaccine said: “2020 had been a ‘dreadful’ year but life would get back to normal in the coming months. Now it is easier to be more efficient in caring for our patients, having received the vaccine.”

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