Kogi State hasn’t received its share from the nearly four million AstraZeneca vaccine meant for Nigeria.
The ‘Confluence State’ as at Thursday, March 18, is the only state yet to begin vaccination against the coronavirus according to the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.
Recall that Nigeria, had on March 2, received 3.94 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), from Mumbai to Abuja.
But while 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory have begun rapid vaccination, Kogi is still awaiting its index jab.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Fiasal Shuaib, in a statement on Thursday reteirated that this is due to the non-repair of the state’s sold-chain store as well as concerns around the contradictory information about the vaccines.
“All States except Kogi have received their vaccines,” Shuaib said.
“Kogi State is yet to receive due to the non-repair of their Cold-Chain Store coupled with the State’s concerns around the contradictory information about the vaccines.”
Governor Yahaya Bello, who has always demonstrated a controversial stance against the contagion has vowed not to take the vaccine.
Speaking on a live television programme last week, Bello said there was nothing medically wrong with him and he won’t allow the people of his state to be used as “guinea pigs,” even as his colleagues in other states have to received shots of the AstraZeneca/ Oxford COVID-19 vaccines as from next week.
To ensure accountability in the distribution of the vaccines, Dr Faisal said “the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had been co-opted to support the PTF on Vaccine Accountability to ensure the safekeeping of the vaccines.”
He added that “there was a need for tight security around the Vaccines in the States to avoid being vandalized by hoodlums. Meanwhile, there was a plan to commence weekly record of a dashboard showing level and efficacy of the inoculation by the end of Monday, March 15, 2021.”
He also assured that the second tranche of the Vaccines would be received in the country before the second dose of the Vaccines intake is concluded.
