Gombe governor flags off COVID-19 vaccination
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has officially flagged off COVID-19 vaccination in the state. The governor, was administered the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Jab by his personal physician, Dr Bello Abdulkadir, at the banquet hall of the Government House yesterday.
Speaking shortly after being inoculated, the governor said the coming of the vaccine signalled a return to normalcy through the gradual lifting of travel and work restrictions.
“We are grateful to the Federal Government for its role in ensuring Nigeria is not left out of the global vaccine programme. On our part, government is making necessary plans to ensure the success of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign through careful mapping and targeting of eligible persons during this first phase of the campaign,” he said.
He said the first phase of the vaccination programme would prioritize healthcare workers in both public and private health facilities is in line with global best practices where front-line health workers and other associated health personnel are given priority.
The governor said: “Subsequent phases of the vaccination campaign will target persons above 50 years of age, those with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and asthma”.
He vouched for the safety and efficacy of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, saying “My decision and that of other senior government officials to take the vaccine in this phase is to demonstrate confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccination programme”.
Governor Yahaya said his administration would continue to accord great priority to the health of its citizens, saying as the governor of the state, he has the responsibility to ensure that the health and wellbeing of the people in the state is given the needed attention.
“Gombe State is among the best states across the country that worked tirelessly to curb the spread of Covid-19 among its people. My government has established six isolation centers and built a standard molecular diagnostic laboratory in the fight against covid-19, the rapid response team have also been supported with logistics to conduct their activities across the state”.
GovernorYahaya, therefore, urged political office holders, religious and traditional leaders to support the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination across all the local government areas in the state.
“The state has received a total of 71,340 doses of the vaccines from the Federal Government through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the vaccines have been found to be very safe and certified by the WHO at the international level and NAFDAC here in the Nigeria”.
According to him, it is a fact that healing and protection come from God alone, but that both Islam and Christianity also command their adherents to take medications and other precautions during periods of ill-health.
He emphasized that “vaccinations, just like in the past, have proven to be effective in reducing morbidities and mortalities among our people”.
Governor Yahaya used the occasion to express his appreciation to the Federal Government for making the vaccines available to Nigerians and to frontline health workers for their various sacrifices in the battle against COVID-19 in the state.
He equally appreciated health partners in the state, especially the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, W.H.O and UNICEF, for their technical support in the areas of immunization and other primary health care activities in the state.
Earlier speaking, Chairman, Coordinating Committee of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Gombe State, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau, said in the past one year, the state had tested a total of 34, 246 persons for the COVID-19 virus.
Of this number, Jatau said 2,054 persons tested positive; while 1,971 recovered from the virus.
He said at the moment, the state had nine active cases and had recorded a total of 44 deaths since the outbreak of the virus some 365 days ago.
Jatau, who is the state deputy governor, commended Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for distinguishing himself in the fight against the virus by providing the necessary facilities to tame the its spread in the state.
A foremost epidemiologist, Professor Idris Mohammed, enjoined the people of the state not to entertain any reservations about the AstraZeneca vaccine as no scientific proof had suggested that the vaccine was harmful.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, had told the gathering that the administration of the vaccine would be in four phases with the first covering frontline health workers in both public and private hospitals and those in the Rapid Response Team.
He said other phases of the vaccination exercise would involve the aged from 50 and above and those with underlying health conditions.
In his vote of thanks, the Executive Secretary, Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Abdulrahman Shuaibu, thanked Governor Yahaya for displaying leadership in the fight against the COVID-19 virus.
He said the symbolic vaccination of the governor would not only allay the fears associated with the efficacy of the vaccine, but would also improve the uptake of it by members of the public.
To flag off the vaccination exercise, the governor led dignitaries, including his deputy, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau; the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Luggerewo, the Secretary to the State Government, the Head of Civil Service, commissioners and other government functionaries in taking the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.