Segun Babatunde in Bauchi
Bauchi State Government has taken delivery of 80,570 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine out of the 150,000 allocated to the state by the NPHCDA which will be administered to front line health workers, government officials, security, traditional and religious leaders.
This was disclosed by the Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Senator Baba Tela while receiving the vaccine at the Cold store of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), on Wednesday saying that the vaccination will commence on Thursday.
The Deputy Governor who is the Chairman of the State Taskforce Committee on COVID-19 and Lassa Fever declared that, “The vaccine is potent, it has been administered across the world and all those who took it are doing well. WHO has approved it, therefore, we in Bauchi are ready to take it”.
According to him, the State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir will lead other top government officials to take the vaccine after which others in the Legislature and security will take their turns.
The Deputy Governor further said that the vaccine will be taken to all the 20 Local Government Areas and 323 wards in the state where it will be administered to frontline health workers and other vulnerable people including aged and children.
He assured that the quantity supplied to the state will be administered to the people of the state calling on the people not to be afraid of the vaccine but to embrace it as the surest way of avoiding the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BASPHCDA), Dr Rilwanu Mohammed said that the vaccine arrived Bauchi late Tuesday night and was taken straight into the cold store as directed by the NPHCDA in order to maintain its potency.
Rilwanu Mohammed added that the vaccine must be administered immediately in line with the direction of its usage stressing that it is a potent vaccine which will approximately fight COVID-19 infection.
He assured the people of the state that the government will ensure that the vaccine went round everybody in the state in order to keep the state COVID-19 free. END