TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will receive the COVID-19 vaccine publicly on Saturday.

Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), disclosed this at a media briefing at the state house on Thursday.

He said the number one and two citizens will receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after some frontline health workers are vaccinated on Friday.

Nigeria received its first batch of the vaccine on Tuesday as part of efforts to fight the coronavirus which has killed 1,940 citizens out of the 157,000 infected.

Shuaib said the vaccination process will be formally launched on Friday in Abuja after which select health workers will receive their shots.

He added that the first set of health workers to receive the vaccine will be the staff of the National Hospital, Abuja.

”Buhari and Osinbajo will then be vaccinated alongside strategic leaders on Saturday,” he said.

“Again, we are hopeful that when Nigerians see leaders like Mr. President and Vice-President take this vaccine, it will increase their confidence around the safety of the vaccines.

“After we are able to get our strategic leaders to publicly demonstrate that these vaccines are safe, the plan is to now go to the state level to start the launch from the treatment centres and also get strategic leaders such as governors to publicly take the vaccine.”

He also said the federal government is working with various stakeholders including the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to ensure “we roll out rapidly” in the coming weeks.