By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri-
As part of pre-covid-19 vaccination exercise in the North East, The United Nations International Children Educational Fund, (UNICEF) has mapped out programmes where health workers would be prioritized and targeted for the first phase of the vaccination campaign exercise in the states.
The UNICEF further targeted in phase two the vaccination of the remaining health workers and people aged 50 years and above; while in phase three, it targeted those with co-morbidities but less than 50 years.
In a statement issued on Monday by Mohammad Ibrahim, Immunisation Officer, UNICEF, Maiduguri Field Office, said the phase four of the COVID-19 vaccine campaign exercise would target other population at-risk groups with a high burden of the disease not covered in phase one.
The statement added that as part of the phase one campaign program, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States are included in the vaccine launch and a total of 143,387 health workers from the three states are expected to be vaccinated.
Speaking on the training at the State’s level, Mr. Mohammed noted that UNICEF would worked with the Borno State Government to facilitate the training of health workers which was held on Friday and Saturday last week where health workers are expected to be frontline vaccinators.
According to him, the purpose of the training was to improve the capacity of the resource persons in community engagement and demand creations, while vaccine management including cold chain and waste management, Service delivery and surveillance, Micro planning, Monitoring and supervisions were provided.
He noted that some of the Facilitators were from the Unicef. Cold Chain and Immunization Supply Chain Assessment, while UNICEF is the lead agency for ensuring
adequate, effective, efficient cold chain and vaccine management
He said in terms of governance and Coordination, UNICEF is a member of all the National and States Coordinating forums, ICC, COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Technical Working Group, Emergency Routine Immunization Coordinating Centres (SERICC) and all the relevant working groups.
Others include Social Mobilization Working, group, Social Mobilization working Group and training working group.
Mr. Ibrahim further noted that the events were fast evolving which could subject some strategic review of the COVID-19 campaign exercise after the exercise which shall regular situational update as the process continues.
It would be recalled that Federal Government began the vaccination of Nigerians against the deadly disease on Friday when health workers at the National Hospital, Abuja received doses of the vaccine.
While on Saturday, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo were vaccinated against the deadly disease and the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, had on Thursday warned that his agency would not make the vaccine available to states which had not met the criteria set for its distribution.
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