Kogi, left out in AstraZeneca Vaccine delivery –

35 Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT all have received supplies of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine except for Kogi State

The Executive director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib made the development known on Thursday.

NewsWireNGR recalls that, of the state governors in Nigeria, Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor, has not only insisted that COVID-19 is not an issue in his state, he has also said he will not subject the people in the state to vaccination.

Shuaib said 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 NPHCDA executive director spoke on the vaccine roll-out after the national economic council (NEC) meeting.

He said: “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.

Shuaib said 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 appealed for a “need for tight security around the vaccines in the states to avoid being vandalised by hoodlums”.