We Have Vaccines To Cover 70% Nigerians –SGF

ABUJA - The Federal Government has said there were enough vaccines to cover over 70 percent of the country’s population before the end of 2022.

Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said the vaccines are safe, hence, “it is better and safer to be vaccinated against the virus”.

He said the country has so far accessed 12 million doses of vaccines even as it expects more by the end of February 2022.

"There is no gainsaying that the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, which was triggered when the index case was confirmed on the 27th of February 2020, precipitated significant disruptions to the healthcare system and socio-economic lives of Nigerians.

"Due to the evolving dynamics of COVID-19 pandemic with progressive mutations of the virus to more transmissible and deadly variants, the international community has corroborated the insinuation that the pandemic will persist for a few more years.

“This understanding has impelled world leaders recently to conclude that if efforts are not renewed and aggressive measures are not taken, COVID-19 pandemic will continue to ravage humanity well longer than earlier envisaged. Hence the need to adopt an ambitious (but cautious) agenda to end the COVID-19 pandemic by the year 2022.

“Nigeria has invested in enough vaccines that can cover over 70% of our population before the end of 2022. These vaccines are safe and efficacious, hence it is better and safer to be vaccinated against this virus, now.”