The Acting Executive Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS), in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Dr Mohammed Kawu has decried the low turnout of eligible persons for the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Executive Secretary who disclosed this to Journalists said that no fewer than 42,000 people had received their second doses out of the 132,000 that got vaccinated during the first phase of the exercise in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
According to him, the Administration still has until the middle of July 2021 to finish the second dose of the vaccination exercise.
Kawu said that the FCTA has re-started the vaccination of the first dose with available vaccines, following the assurance from the National Primary Healthcare that by July they are going to have about 3.9 million doses for the country.
He explained that the rationale for continuing wearing facemasks and maintaining COVID19 protocol, even after taken two jabs, because the vaccine does stop one from coming in contact with the virus, but the vaccine produces immunity in vaccinated peoples’ body.
“We are appealing to all those who have gotten their first dose to come out and take their second dose.
“So, the greatest challenge is that people are not coming out to take the vaccine. Because, every big Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) across the six Area Councils is a vaccination site. And the immunization units of all our general hospitals are vaccination sites; and there is also mobile vaccination team that moves around places including markets.
“We are monitoring and ensuring that every of these places, the vaccinators are there everyday. There is no cost attached to it, so people that are willing to take, should have easy access to the vaccines as they are 100% free
“Even if you have taken the vaccine, unless is the society develop hard immunity (where majority of people have immunity against the virus), so the virus will not have the power to start spreading in the society.
“Until we get to that level, we will continue to protect ourselves. For those that don’t have the immune yet, because they have not been vaccinated, if the virus their body, they cannot effectively fight the disease, and therefore they will come down with the disease,“ he added.
PIAK
