COVID-19 Caused 33% Drop in GDP, Health Minister Reveals

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osage Ekhanire yesterday disclosed that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had dropped by 33 percent as a result of COVID-19.

The minister, also, disclosed that the country had lost over 2,000 persons to the outbreak of the pandemic.

He revealed this in Benin City, Edo State, during the Southsouth town hall meeting on COVID-19 vaccination organised by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 in collaboration with the NPHCDA

At the meeting, the health minister explained that the federal government needed to vaccinate 70 percent of the population to effectively curb the spread of the virus.

He explained that the way out of this “is to get vaccinated because those who had taken the virus have full protection while the unvaccinated are exposed to danger and casualty.”

Also at the meeting, the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib yesterday disclosed that so far about 4.680 million persons have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Nigeria.

According to him, the meeting is aimed at discussing the COVID-19 vaccination; addressing mutual concerns; reaching a consensus and supporting the on-going efforts by the federal and state governments to ensure citizens are safe and protected against the virus.

He 1noted that of the 4.680 million persons, only 1.865 million have been fully vaccinated with two doses, adding that this is below the target of reaching health immunity.