Kano will have 3,557 vaccine doses while Lagos has 3,131 doses apportioned for it in the new sharing formula for COVID-19 vaccine released by an agency of the Nigerian government.
In all, six states – Lagos, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Bauchi and Oyo – would receive higher doses of the first batch of COVID- 19 vaccines for health workers, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said.
The breakdown of the data released by the NPHCDA at the weekend showed: Kano, 3,557; Lagos, 3,131; Katsina, 2,361; Kaduna, 2,074; Bauchi, 1,900; Oyo, 1,848; Rivers, 1,766; Jigawa, 1,712; Niger, 1,558; Ogun, 1,473; Sokoto, 1,468; Benue, 1,423; Borno, 1,416; Anambra, 1,379; Kebbi, 1,361; Zamfara, 1,336; Rivers, 1,306; Imo, 1,267; Ondo, 1,228; Akwa Ibom, 1,161.
Others are: Adamawa, 1,129; Edo, 1,104; Plateau, 1,089; Enugu, 1,088; Osun, 1,032; Kogi, 1,030; Cross River, 1,023; Abia, 955; Gombe, 908; Yobe, 842; Ekiti, 830; Taraba, 830; Kwara, 815; Ebonyi, 747; Bayelsa, 589; FCT, 695; Nasarawa, 661.
Director, Disease Control and Immunisation of NPHCDA, Dr. Bassey Okposen, who gave details of how the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine doses will be distributed across states, said the vaccines were expected to be administered around the last week of January or early February. Okposen added that states with higher percentage of confirmed cases would be given additional doses.
Others prioritised to take the vaccines were frontline health workers, the elderly and vulnerable persons with co-morbidities based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
He said: “In the first priority, when the limited doses first come in towards the end of this month and early February, will be the frontline health workers like immigration, airport, police and military on essential duties, those working in the labs and other medical practitioners. “Those states with higher number of cases will be given additional doses.
We’ve mapped out the health workers in each state and locations where these vaccines will be deployed as soon as we receive them. All the states in the country have cases and we need to get the vaccine to them all if we want to achieve herd immunity.”
On his part, Director, Logistics and Health Commodities of NHPCDA, Kubura Daradara, has warned that states without cold chains would not have access to the vaccines.
While explaining that the vaccine must be administered within five days of receipt to remain potent, Daradara said only states that show commitment would receive the doses when available.
