Federal Government of Nigeria says it is taking strategic precautionary steps to protect Nigerians against B.1.617.2, also known as the Indian variant of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr Faisal Shuaib, gave the assurance while speaking with reporters on Tuesday in Abuja.
“Flights from India and other high-risk countries such as Turkey and Brazil have been barred from entering Nigeria; we are ramping up our test and trace measures, and we are accelerating the national project to establish production of oxygen supplies across all states of Nigeria,” he said.
The NPHCDA chief noted that, “I want to seize the opportunity to enjoin Nigerians to continue to observe the public health or non-pharmaceutical measures in place to curb the transmission of COVID-19, as we are not out of the woods yet.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and update citizens.”
He also stressed that the agency has almost completed administering all first doses as of Monday as 1,929,237 Nigerians have been captured – representing 96% of the targeted population.
Dr. Shuaib briefed reporters that the government was already administering the second dose of the vaccine with 4,683 eligible persons covered so far.
“We are advising that all Nigerians who have received their first dose should check their vaccination cards for the date of their second dose, and ensure that they receive the second dose to gain full protection against COVID-19,” he said.
According to the NPHCDA chief, “As we transition to administering second doses, our teams have assessed the communication and mobilization activities that have been undertaken thus far to create awareness for the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage uptake.
“We will be building on the work we have already done in these areas to ensure that Nigerians can easily access accurate information about COVID-19 vaccination.”
Dr. Shuaid said the agency would continue engagement and communication with communities across the country.