Buhari, Osinbajo To Take COVID-19 Jab Saturday

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will on Saturday receive a jab of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccines.

Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the State House, Abuja.

The nation had on Tuesday received over 3.9 out the 16 million doses of the vaccines expected from the COVAX facility.

Shuaib said during the briefing that the president and his vice would receive their shots of the vaccine to encourage Nigerians that the vaccines are safe.

“The next step in the vaccination programme given that we’ve now received the vaccines 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’ve communicated that frontline health workers will be the first people to take the vaccine.

“After that, the plan is to vaccinate Mr President, Mr Vice-President and strategic leaders on Saturday. Again, we are hopeful that when Nigerians see leaders like Mr President and Mr Vice-President take the vaccine; it will increase their confidence around the safety of the vaccines

“As you are well aware that even before the vaccine arrived Nigeria, there is 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,” Shuaib said.

The NPHCDA boss noted that public health workers had the responsibility not to only offer the vaccine, but to also convince people that the vaccines are safe.

He also enjoined Nigerians who wish to receive the vaccines to register on the website of the agency.