COVID-19 Vaccine: Critical Leaders, health workers to take first shot – PTF

January 8, 2021

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has disclosed that critical leaders and health workers in the country would be given the first shots of COVID-19 Vaccine when it finally arrives.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday during a PTF briefing, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha and other prominent Nigerians will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in full glare of the public to demonstrate that the vaccine is safe.

He explained that in developed countries, apart from the prioritization of health workers, critical leaders are also identified and vaccinated so that they won’t be wiped off by the virus.

He added: “For example, in warfare, if you want to destroy your enemies, you look for specific leaders, captains, the generals, once you decapitate them, then the soldiers will become weak.

“So, as much as possible you do not want to also leave your leaders vulnerable to COVID-19. It doesn’t mean you want to prioritize politicians, that is not correct.

“I emphasized during the last briefing that we will prioritize our health workers because they are the ones in direct contacts with cases in isolation units.”

Meanwhile, the federal government has appealed to Nigerians not to be hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it gets to Nigeria.

Nigeria intends to get 42 million COVID-19 vaccines to cover one fifth of its population through the global COVAX scheme.

The COVAX scheme was set up to provide vaccines to poorer countries including Nigeria whose large population and poor infrastructure posed a great challenge to medical officials rolling out the vaccinations.