By XINHUA
The Nigerian government is determined to vaccinate 70 percent of the citizens before the end of 2022, a senior official said on Monday.
Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, said at a national summit on COVID-19 held in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, that the most populous African nation had already invested in vaccines that can cover over 70 percent of its population before the end of next year.
“These vaccines are safe and efficacious. It is better and safer to be vaccinated against this virus,” said Mustapha, who is also the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19. “We need to encourage all eligible persons to get vaccinated and keep observing washing of hands, wearing of face masks, keeping physical distance and avoiding crowded areas.”
The summit, with the theme “Pushing Through The Last Mile to End the Pandemic and Build Back Better,” was a gathering of key actors in the health, economic, security, and policy-making sectors of the country.
According to Mustapha, the country had made significant progress in the era of vaccines and non-pharmaceutical intervention measures.
He said the participants at the summit had critically reviewed Nigeria’s COVID-19 response from February 2020 to November 2021 to identify successes, gaps, and lessons to be learned.
“The summit also identified resources and develop strategies that will actualize the country’s expressed international commitments toward ending COVID-19 by December 31, 2022,” he added.
According to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, as of Sunday, more than 7.1 million people have been reached with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, representing 6.4 percent of the total eligible persons in Nigeria, while about 3.8 million persons have been fully vaccinated, representing 3.4 percent of the total eligible persons in the country.
