The Kaduna State government says it vaccinated more than five million persons against COVID-19, representing 103 per cent fully vaccinated target coverage of 4.9 million persons.

Ibrahim Adamu, deputy state immunisation officer, State Primary Healthcare Board, said in Kaduna on the side-line of a novelty football match to sensitise youths on sexual and reproductive health.

Mr Adamu said about 3.2 million of the vaccinated persons are female.

He said the state ranked fourth in the national ranking of states with a fully vaccinated population.

He said efforts were ongoing to mobilise those who had not collected their second doses of the vaccine to do so to get fully vaccinated.

“We are working with our social mobilisation working group in the state to ensure that every citizen that is supposed to be vaccinated is fully vaccinated.

“As of last week, we had a shortage of vaccines in some local government areas, but right now, we have received almost 5,000 doses of Johnson and Johnson’s vaccines being distributed to all the areas,” he said.

The United Nations Population Fund and the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board organised the novelty match in collaboration with the Kaduna State AIDS Control Agency and an NGO, the Youth Ambassadors.

Audu Alayande, assistant representative, reproductive health, UNFPA Kaduna, said the event was organised to sensitise youths on sexual and reproductive health, HIV, family planning and COVID-19.

“It is also to equip the youth with critical information and knowledge on how to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, unwanted pregnancies, and unplanned marriages,” he said. 

(NAN)