Kogi has no facility to receive COVID-19 Vaccines - NPHCDA

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State

Governor Yahaya Bello of KogI: Yet to repair the cold chain store to receive COVID-19 Oxford-Astrazeneca for Kogi
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi: Yet to repair the cold chain store to receive COVID-19 Oxford-Astrazeneca for Kogi

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Kogi State has no facility to receive its share of of COVID-19 vaccines, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA said on Thursday.

NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr Fiasal Shuaib, said this in a presentation at the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC).

But he added that the vaccines have been supplied to all the other states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory.

He added that most states have also rolled out procedure for the administration of the vaccines, starting with frontline health workers and other support staff.

According to him, Kogi has not received its batch of the vaccine because the state has refused to repair its cold chain store.

He added that this was compounded by state’s fiddling with information about the vaccines.

Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, a COVID-19 doubter had before now insisted that he will not take the COVID-19 vaccine.

But he promised that he will not stop anyone in his state willing to take the COVI-19 jab from doing so.

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He has not fulfilled this promise, going by revelation by the NPHCDA boss at the NEC meeting.

Shuaib said, “All States except Kogi have received their Vaccines. Kogi State was yet to receive due to the non-repair of their Cold-Chain Store coupled with the State’s concerns around the contradictory information about the vaccines”

“The vaccination application has been launched in most States’ Treatment Centres even against distractions and criticism of the FG’s efforts to ensure availability of vaccines in the Nation.

The roll-out of the vaccines across Healthcare Front-line Workers and other Health Support Staff was scheduled to commence by March 15, 2021, in some States, with the intention of wider coverage after the training of the States’ Health workers across board.”

To ensure accountability in the distribution of the vaccines, Dr Faisal informed NEC that “the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had been co-opted to support the PTF on Vaccine Accountability to ensure the safekeeping of the vaccines.”

He added that “there was a need for tight security around the Vaccines in the States to avoid being vandalized by hoodlums. Meanwhile, there was a plan to commence weekly record of a dashboard showing level and efficacy of the inoculation by the end of Monday, March 15, 2021.”

He also assured that the second tranche of the Vaccines would be received in the country before the second dose of the Vaccines intake is concluded.

NEC  also received an update from the NEC ad hoc committee interfacing with the presidential taskforce on COVID 19 to ease the lockdown of the economy by the Chairman of the Committee Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor Delta State, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu.

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