Lagos commences COVID-19 vaccination

• Gov. Sanwo-Olu, Deputy others get  shots

• Lists frontline health workers, journalists, policemen, among first groups to be vaccinated

The Lagos State government, Friday, commenced the administration of  the covid-19 vaccine.    

The state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and some of the commissioners kicked off  the vaccination as they received a jab each of the Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine aimed at assisting the state to flatten the virus curve across the state.

Also receiving the vaccines, after the governor and other senior government officials, were frontline health workers treating residents that have contracted COVID-19 virus across the state.

Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, and other recipients got a shot of the vaccine at the Infectious Disease Hospital, IDH, Yaba at the presence of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and other international health organisations representatives.

The roll-out came barely three days after the first consignment of 507,000 Astra Zeneca COVID-19 COVAX vaccines provided by the Federal Government were received by the state government at 5 a.m and was transferred to state cold chain facilities for safe storage and inventory management.

After receiving the vaccine, Sanwo-Olu, while addressing the newsmen, debunked claims that the vaccine had side-effect and was not safe, stressing that the vaccine was brought in to prevent the virus from having an adverse effect on the state.

The governor, who was the second person to receive the vaccine, added that he did not feel any pains, just as he commended health workers for their efforts to keep the state safe from the virus.

Meanwhile, the State Government has listed journalists, Policemen, and other frontline health workers among the first of people to be vaccinated.

Others include military officers, judicial workers, port health workers, and rapid response teams in Lagos.

Confirming the list on Friday, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said that the list was approved by the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to protect the identified workers from contracting the virus.

Abayomi added that 88 designated locations have been approved for Phase 1 of the exercise which consists of medical workers, police, military, laboratory, port health, judiciary, and rapid response teams.