The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) says Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom rank low in COVID-19 vaccination.

The director for Disease Control and Immunisation at the NPHCDA, Bassey Okposen, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 National Briefing.

“As of March 21, Nigeria vaccinated 20,259,242 eligible persons. Out of this number, 11,031,267 representing 9.9 per cent, are fully vaccinated. The state performance data shows that Nasarawa, Jigawa, Ogun, the FCT and Kwara vaccinated the highest number of their eligible population,” said Mr Okposen.

He added, “We met with the commissioners and executive secretaries of Ebonyi, Imo, Zamfara, Osun, Ogun, Yobe, Bauchi, Rivers, and Nasarawa states to discuss the level microplan, integration of health services and identify areas where the agency can further strengthen its support.”

The NPHCDA director said the agency would meet with the “other commissioners and executive secretaries of the 26 states plus the FCT when they are done with the development of their microplan.”

He reminded Nigerians to take advantage of the availability of Johnson & Johnson and become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with only one dose of the vaccine.

“Let us also remember that our optimised SCALES strategy makes it possible for eligible children to receive childhood vaccination at any of our COVID-19 mass vaccination sites,” he added. “May I seize this opportunity to invite you all to our Primary Health Care summit scheduled to hold on Thursday and Friday at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.”

He said speakers and panellists would be drawn from the private sector, partners, global public health experts, the government at federal, state, and local, the academia and non-governmental organisations.

(NAN)