President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus on Saturday.
This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, during the second edition of State House weekly briefing held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Director added that Nigerians would begin to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to its people on Friday, after a launch that would take place at the National Hospital, Abuja.
The NPHCDA boss maintained that the next phase after the review of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be for his agency to begin vaccination.
Shuaib said, “The next step in the vaccination programme, given that we have now received the vaccine, is a launch that will be taking place at the National Hospital tomorrow (Friday). The time scheduled for that launch is 10am. The launch will be conducted by the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
“The plan is to vaccinate the frontline health workers that work in the treatment centre of the National Hospital, those will be the first people just like we have communicated that frontline health workers will be the first people to take the vaccine.”
The director added that with the launch over, strategic leaders such as the President and the Vice-President would receive the vaccine on Saturday.
He expressed the optimism that public vaccination of the two leaders would further increase the confidence of Nigerians in relation to the safety of the vaccine.
He added, “After that (the launch), the plan is to vaccinate Mr. President, Mr. Vice-President and strategic leaders on Saturday.
“We are hopeful that when Nigerians see leaders like Mr. President and Mr. Vice-President take the vaccines; it will increase their confidence around the safety of the vaccine.
“As you are well aware that even before the vaccine arrived in Nigeria, there was a lot of hesitancy. It is a global phenomenon. Vaccine hesitancy is similar, no matter where you are, you have to provide the right information and to those people who have questions, we cannot dismiss their cynicism.
“It is our responsibility as public health workers not to only offer the vaccine, but to also do extra-work in terms of providing the resources that are needed and to convince people that these vaccines are safe.”
