Makinde says he hopes to get as many COVID-19 vaccines as possible for Oyo residents.
Oyo governor, Seyi Makinde, says he’s opening discussions with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to get a sufficient supply for residents of the state.
Nigeria hopes to kick off its vaccination campaign against the novel disease by the end of January 2021 with the supply of 100,000 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be focused on frontline workers.
According to the sharing formula published by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Oyo State will receive 1,848 doses of the vaccine.
Makinde said during a media briefing on Wednesday, January 13 that the number allocated to Oyo by the Federal Government is grossly inadequate for the state’s need, prompting him to explore other methods.
I have been advised that Astrazeneca vaccine is more suitable for Oyo State due to storage instructions.
“So we are opening discussions directly with the manufacturers to see how we can get as many as possible for our people,” he said.
Oyo is the fifth worst affected by COVID-19 in Nigeria where nearly 104,000 cases have been detected since last February.
A second wave of the virus kicked off in December 2020 with a sharp rise in the number of daily cases recorded nationwide.
Makinde said on Wednesday that the second wave in Oyo is not a thing because the curve was never flattened in the state to begin with.
“Rather, we had more people becoming complacent and acting as if the pandemic was over,” he said.
The governor called on residents to not let their guard down and continue to adhere strictly to COVID-19 safety protocols.
