Follow Us on Google
From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, yesterday, flagged off mass vaccination for 2,136,000 residents against COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor took the booster dose during the flag off ceremony at Aleshinloye Market, Ibadan. It was administered on him by the Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Muideen Olatunji.
The flag off ceremony was witnessed by the Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan; House of Assembly Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin; and other top government functionaries, including Commissioner for Health, Bode Ladipo, as well as development partners, including World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N) and National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.
Olubadan of Ibadanland, Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso I, was represented by the Ekefa Olubadan, Oloye Lekan Alabi. The roll call also included the Chairman, Ibadan South West Local Government, Akande Kehinde, as well as market leaders in the state.
Makinde, who commended the development partners, especially WHO and UNICEF, for donating the vaccines free to the state, assured the vaccines would also be given to people from 18 years and above.
He urged religious and traditional rulers to key into the mass vaccination exercise and the message to the followers and subjects towards curtailment, containment and prevention of COVID-19 in the state.
The governor said it was two years that the first case of COVID-19 was discovered, adding that people had thought the virus would go away within three months, before the reality dawned on them that the virus would still be with the world for some time.
Makinde described the mass vaccination exercise as another logical step taken by his administration to prevent the spread of the virus. He urged residents of the 33 local government areas of the state to take the advantage so that they could get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The governor, who noted that in the previous vaccination exercises, only six percent of the population of the state had been vaccinated, as alluded to by the Commissioner for Health,Bode Ladipo.
He said the percentage would be jerked up astronomically with the mass vaccination exercise.
