Of the 3.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in Nigeria since March 2021, health workers took 1.4 million jabs.

This was disclosed by the executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Shuaib told journalists that over 20 per cent of fully vaccinated persons in Abia, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kwara, Oyo and Zamfara had taken their first booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

He said that as of November 7, 2022, figures showed that 51,397,212 of total eligible persons targeted for COVID-19 vaccination in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were fully vaccinated, while 12,584,955 of total eligible persons targeted were partially vaccinated.

He said that “the COVID-19 vaccine is free, safe and effective,” noting that the country has four brands of the COVID-19 vaccine received from the COVAX Facility and the African Union: AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines.

“A booster dose is the additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine taken after the full dose of any brand of the vaccine for further protection against the virus. Consequently, the booster dose will be the third dose for a two-dose vaccine.

“We all need a booster dose because as the COVID-19 virus keeps mutating, a booster dose is recommended to enhance immunity and provide further protection against emerging variants.”

The executive director also said the agency had implemented strategies to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccines reached the last mile.

He said, “places in armed conflict and hard-to-reach areas were prioritised by NPHCDA and partners.”

He added that to ensure the actualisation of the agency’s strategies, the COVID-19 vaccination programme is now strengthening the primary healthcare system by using routine immunisation as an entry point.

“The current approach for delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine, known as optimised SCALES 3:0 strategy, entails the integration of the coronavirus vaccine with the current implementation.

“This means that parents and caregivers with children or wards aged zero to two years are encouraged to bring their children to the COVID-19 vaccination site where childhood vaccines are available,” he said.

(NAN)