COVID-19: FG cautions against unapproved vaccines

The Federal Government on Monday cautioned Nigerians against patronising unapproved vaccines for the COVID-19 or other ailments.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Boss Mustapha said this at the joint national briefing of the taskforce.

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This is as he also confirmed the existence of the new variant of the COVID-19 virus, first seen in the United Kingdom, in the country.

According to him, the effort to access and deploy vaccines is progressing and as already announced by COVAX, the initial 100,000 doses Nigeria is expecting will now arrive in the early weeks of February.

“We wish to assure all Nigerians that the vaccines will be safe and effective when eventually it is deployed. We enjoin everyone to join in the campaign to eliminate vaccine hesitancy.

“​I have to however advise all Nigerians that the only source of vaccines that is safe and effective in Nigeria is through the channels of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). Please do not patronize any one hawking or marketing vaccines,” Mustapha said.

He also expressed concern that over the last few weeks, the PTF has been closely following the rising number of infections reported daily in Nigeria and in other jurisdictions.

Confirm new variant of virus

The SGF added that the nation’s scientists have been sequencing the variants of the virus.

“There have been reports of cases with the B117 variant strain, first reported in the UK, found in Nigeria. Three of these were in travelers out of Nigeria and one in a resident,” Mustapha said.

He added that the daily statistics for Nigeria as at 24th January shows 121,566 ccases 1,270,523 tests 22,834 active cases, 97,228 discharged and 1,504 deaths.

Measures taken

The SGF also recalled that the PTF had taken measures including advisory to the sub-national entities to enforce adherence to non-pharmaceutical initiatives already well publicized; sanctions against international passengers that failed to show up for day-seven post arrival testing; implementation of the National Testing Week Strategy (450/774 Tests); sustaining the hours of curfew; and the decision to direct government employees on GL 12 and below to work from home till the end of January.