Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi states have received the first batch of Covid-19 vaccine for onward administration to front line health workers and some stakeholders in the three states.
On ground to take the delivery of the vaccines that landed at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu through a chattered Allied cargo plane at about 2.44pm, are United Nations Children’s Fund ( UNICEF) National Primary Health Care Development Authority, representatives of ministry of health Ebonyi and Anambra states and World Health Organization (WHO).
Speaking to journalists after inspecting the delivering of the vaccines the head of UNICEF field office, Ibrahim Conteh said “Today is a beautiful day for the first time the vaccine is arriving Enugu this is a very interesting moment and we know that health is on the way, this is the first concernment for this region we hope more will be coming but all the states are very happy to see this day that finally we have got the corona virus vaccines here in Enugu, the the supplies now are for three states, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi “.
Responding to the question on adequate storage and protection of the vaccines ,The head of field office Enugu the storage facilities has been arranged, he noted that all the cool chain’s, in Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi are ready, “no problem at all we are using the same facilities as we use in routine immunization “.
On the targeted group to be administered, Conteh said that the first batch would be targeting at the front line health workers because they are the ones that are more exposed thereafter other groups would be considered.
However he noted that each client would be expected to take two doses at an interval of about four weeks or more before the second dose is administered.”
Also at the Airport were Enugu state health team lead by the commissioner for health, Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi .
Obi was in a very high spirit as he said that he is fulfilled to receive the vaccine., he commended all the partners that made it possible, that a time like this with the pandemic of covid-19 that one of the measures that is very instrumental to steaming the tide of covid-19 can be on ground and can be in Enugu state”.
“I am encouraging people to believe that it is real and this a measure against COVID19 and it is here to stay, our people should embrace these measures that are been uses to steam the tide of COVID-19, it is an innovative dieses but we joined the rest of the world in the measures, interventions, and experiments even finding the treatments that will make this thing go away, internationally and other parts of the world, other people have embraced the covid19 vaccine, we want to say very clearly that in Enugu state we also embrace the COVID-19 vaccine amongst the other measures that will steam the tide of COVID-19”.
. “Please people should note the vaccine works best with the non pharmaceutical measures, please maintain your face mask, continue to wash your hands,and when you can not find water use your Alcohol base sanitiser.and as much as possible physical distancing is very important.
Speaking on the quantity and the doses for Enugu, the commissioner said ” there is a scientific calculation as to which doses we get, now let me make something very clear to the press we want people to be rest assured that the delivering of the vaccines is happing in phases it is on the news that first phase of these vaccines are going to go very clearly to some key stakeholders in the state , the front line health care workers and then we are going to identify the key elderly people with underline disease conditions, the vaccination is probably going to go in four phases, this the first phase and the people this first phase will cover we can assure you that those people are going to be covered effectively “.
The vaccines which came from Oxford also came with the cooling systems and are guided under heavy security to their various destinations.
