Clarifying on those eligible to take part in phase one of the vaccination campaign, Abayomi noted that only healthcare workers, COVID-19 response team, ports of entry staff in air, land, and seaports, laboratory network, judiciary, military, police and other security agencies; petrol station workers, teachers, Press and other frontline workers were eligible for vaccination in the first phase of the exercise currently taking place statewide.

“The need to make this clarification has become very critical to the success of the vaccination campaign in order to prevent imminent chaos that may result from a situation of overcrowding at the vaccination sites,” the commissioner said.

A visit to the Sango-Agege Primary Healthcare Centre shows that individuals who are not eligible for the phase one vaccination were vaccinated.

Our correspondent observed that some people did not pre-register at the Lagos site before the vaccination but the registration process took place at the vaccination centre.

The high turn-out of individuals also seemed to have erased the stigma around the vaccination that it could have adverse effects on health and which had been the prime cause of hesitancy.

It was gathered that people were already seated around 7AM waiting to be vaccinated.

A hotel worker who identified himself as Sunday said he wanted to be vaccinated to protect himself from the viral infection.

“My colleagues came here yesterday (Monday) to be vaccinated and because I work in a hotel where we receive guests from outside the country, I need to protect myself.

“People have been coming here whether they are front liners or not,” he said.

Also, a businesswoman who identified herself as Zainab said she came from the Dopemu area of Lagos to receive the vaccine.

“I saw people taking the vaccine and I decided to give it a try and I joined the queue. I’ve just been vaccinated and I’m okay.

“They said I should come back on June 21 to receive the second dose of the vaccine,” Zainab said.

Also, a farmer who identified himself as Jerry said he had to take the vaccine to be able to donate blood voluntarily.

“I am supposed to donate blood every six months and they insisted on the vaccine card. So, I was left with no option than to take it.”

Jerry alleged that frontliners did not appear to be coming forward for the exercise, and that healthcare workers at the centre had encourages any interested person to come forward.

The World Health Organisation on Monday warned that countries that are now vaccinating younger, healthy people who are at low risk of disease are doing so at the cost of the lives of health workers, older people, and other at-risk groups.

“The world’s poorest countries wonder whether rich countries really mean what they say when they talk about solidarity.

“The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a moral outrage. It’s also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating.

“Some countries are racing to vaccinate their entire populations while other countries have nothing. This may buy short-term security, but it’s a false sense of security,” the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said during a virtual media briefing on COVID-19 on Monday.

Meanwhile, speaking with our correspondent, the Director, Public Affairs Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, said the ongoing first phase of the vaccination in the state was strictly for health and frontline workers.

Ogunbanwo urged citizens who are not captured in the eligibility list of phase one to wait for the commencement of the phase they fit into for vaccination.

“The first phase of the vaccination is designed for the frontliners, healthcare workers, laboratory workers, judiciary, police, and other security agents, petrol station attendants, and the Press.

“The government is not in support of any person or primary healthcare centre that is doing otherwise; every other person should wait for their own phase. The second phase is coming, as well as the third and the fourth phase.

“We are not allowing businessmen or women for the phase one vaccination; it is against the protocol. We need to ensure that we adhere strictly to the COVID-19 vaccination protocol so that everybody can be vaccinated,” he said.

According to the COVID-19 vaccination update for Tuesday, in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory released by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, 215,277 persons have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccines in the country.

The agency said the proportion of Nigerians vaccinated is currently 5.5 percent. It noted that 58,461 persons have been vaccinated in Lagos State so far.

However, Abia, Kebbi, Kogi, Niger, Taraba, Zamfara and Oyo states have not officially commenced vaccination.

source: Punch