Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has received the first dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine shot, making an appeal to citizens to make themselves available for the vaccination.
Ikpeazu on Thursday shortly after receiving the vaccination at the Government House, described the deployment of the vaccine as a device to fight the disease as a global decision by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The governor said that the Federal Government through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was working in line with the decision by WHO to successfully tackle the disease in Nigeria.
“Therefore, all of us must key into this global agenda to stamp out COVID-19 in all communities in Abia and Nigeria at large.
“It is my prayer that this vaccine will aid us in our battle against COVID-19, so that very soon everything will return to normal and we will bid issues of COVID-19 farewell forever,” he added.
In an interview with newsmen, Dr Chinagozi Adindu, the Executive Secretary of Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agenda, described the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as efficacious.
Adindu said that the initial administration of the vaccine would be done on frontline workers, healthcare workers in private and government establishments, law enforcement agents, Abia COVID-19 taskforce team and the elderly.
He said that the agency was adequately prepared to conduct full administration of the vaccine for persons within the targeted group during the vaccination exercise.