THE Federal Government has said that Nigeria is now in the era of vaccines and non-pharmaceutical intervention in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and reemphasised the safety of vaccines administered to Nigerians.
The government also said it had enough COVID-19 vaccines to cover over 70 per cent of its population by December 2022.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 Boss Mustapha said this on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a two-day national summit on the pandemic.
In his remarks at the event, Mustapha said that the National COVID-19 Summit was aimed at bringing all stakeholders together to discuss the theme, ‘Pushing Through the Last Mile to End the Pandemic and Build Back Better.’
“We need to encourage all eligible persons to get vaccinated and keep observing the washing of hands, wearing of face masks, keep physical distance and avoid crowded areas. Nigeria has invested in enough vaccines that can cover over 70 per cent of our population before the end of 2022. These vaccines are safe and efficacious, hence it is better and safer to be vaccinated against this virus, now.” he stated.
Mustapha noted that the event would create the opportunity to identify successes, gaps, and lessons learnt so far in Nigeria’s National Response to COVID-19 from March 2020 till date “in the bid to develop strategies to actualize the international commitments towards ending COVID-19 before the end of Year 2022.”
According to him, Nigeria’s COVID-19 response had been inspired by data, science, and experience since its inception.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance