TheCable

Kogi state has received 16,900 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Abubakar Yakubu, executive director of Kogi state primary health care development agency (NPHCDA), received the vaccine at the state central medical store, Lokoja, the state capital, on Monday.

Yakubu said Kogi will start vaccination, on Tuesday, adding that the state was well-prepared for it.

“We have about 16,900 doses of the vaccine, and by tomorrow Tuesday, we hope to flag off the campaign in the ministry of health,” he said.

“The first-line of recipients of the vaccines are the health workers which will be demonstrated on Tuesday by 12 noon at the ministry.

”The vaccine administration will be followed by the frontline essential non-health workers like the police, military, NSCDC, custom men among others.”

The executive director said the state was expecting an initial delivery of 45,000 doses of the vaccine from the federal government.

”But to our surprise, we are being supplied with 16,900 doses now, I think there will be further reconciliation to send the balance of the doses as soon as possible,” he said.

Kogi is the last state in the country to receive a batch of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine owing to the stance of the state government on the infection.

On March 2, the long-awaited vaccine arrived in the country courtesy of the UN-led COVAX facility which donated 3,924,000 doses to Nigeria.

On March 5, Nigeria commenced COVID vaccination with frontline health workers in Abuja.

On March 8, Ogun became the first state to receive its own batch of the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to a situation update on April 1, 818,865 persons have been vaccinated in 35 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).