The governors of the northern part of the country under the auspices of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) have agreed to take the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine when it arrives the country.
The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, made the disclosure in his address at a webinar on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF).
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Danladi Atu, said the decision was taken to take away fears and controversies surrounding the vaccines.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Engineer Abubakar Gambo Umar, in his welcome address, said the seminar was organised to sensitise the general public and provide answers to all the issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and its vaccines.
In their presentations, the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaibu, and Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, an epidemiologist, gave various insights into the efficacy of the vaccines.
Dr Shuaibu also disclosed that 70 per cent of Nigerians would be vaccinated over a period of two years based on the projection, adding that risk communication strategies will be implemented across the different phases of the COVID-19 vaccine introduction.