FG Approves COVID-19 Vaccine Booster

The federal government has approved COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for Nigerians who are fully vaccinated.

According to a statement by Mohammad Ohitoto, spokesman for the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), eligible Nigerians are to visit health centres and mass vaccination sites from December 10 to get their booster doses.

The approval comes days after the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said the federal government was working on making booster shots available.

However the booster shots would only be given to persons that have completed 2 doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer Bio-N-Tech or 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson.

The Executive Director/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, clarified that the booster dose gives greater protection against the virus and urged all Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the government.
The statement said,
“The eligibility criteria for taking the booster dose are; any person 18 years and above, time interval of 6 months or more after receiving the second dose of AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer Bio-N-Tech, and time interval of 2 months or more after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

“Consequent upon the above, eligible Nigerians are advised to visit the nearest health facility or mass vaccination site for their booster doses as from the 10th of December, 2021 across all states of the federation.”

According to the NPHCDA, 3,720,695 Nigerians, representing 3.3 percent of the population, have been fully vaccinated as of December 2.