From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria is expecting to receive 52 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the second quarter of 2022, Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha has said.
Speaking at the national briefing of the PSC in Abuja, yesterday, Mustapha who is also Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) said: “The most potent way of getting out of this situation is through vaccines, which science and research has presented to us. I call on every eligible persons to come out and be vaccinated.
“There are various choices now. We have AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and we expect Pfizer to be delivered very soon. There will be enough vaccines to go round soon. By the second quarter of 2022, we would have received about 52 million doses of the vaccines.”
He also said efforts were on-going to implement the policy on vaccine mandate for all federal public servants to ensure safety in the workplace and at home.
On travels, he said: “To ease travels for fully vaccinated Nigerians, we are exploring the principles of reciprocity between Nigeria and other nations. For the time being, Nigerians are advised to always carry their vaccination card details or barcode on their electronic devices for easy access, especially for those travelling outside the country. The ministries of Foreign Affairs and Aviation will continue to dialogue with the representatives of the UAE to resolve the issue of Emirates flights between Nigeria and UAE. The protection of the interest of Nigerians remains our primary focus.”
Mustapha also said the PSC would likely review current protocols laid down for quarantine as control remained a source of worry.
Mustapha also called on health workers to call off the ongoing strike.
“On the heels of Mr. President’s intervention in the health sector, I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our health workers to consider the health situation in our country and call off their strike, while government continues to look into all matters that will improve the system, processes and welfare.”