Lagosians Who Received First Doses Of AstraZeneca Vaccine Yet To Receive 2nd Doses

Lagos State Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed that experience from other regions of the world showed that majority of the confirmed cases that have resulted in death were in unvaccinated persons.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday disclosed that 161,040 Lagosians who received the first doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine were yet to receive the second doses.

He disclosed this at the State House, Ikeja, while giving update on COVID-19 situation in Lagos.

The governor said Vaccine Distribution and Access Strategy following the receipt of the first instalment of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Federal Government administered a total of 404,414 first doses and 243,374 second doses of the vaccine to residents.

“As of today, the percentage of residents of Lagos that have received 2 doses of the vaccine stands at 1%. This is quite low, especially considering that we are now confronted by a third wave, and we are exploring all avenues possible to ramp up access to vaccination so as to reach our herd immunity target of administering vaccines to at least 60% of the population of Lagos State,” he said.

“This is why we are seriously looking to scale up vaccination coverage for our people. On the 1st of August 2021, Nigeria received 4 million doses of the Moderna vaccine. It is our expectation that as the epicentre of the epidemic, Lagos State will receive a sizeable amount of this allocation.

“This vaccine cannot be mixed with the AstraZeneca vaccine, so it will only be for people that have not been previously vaccinated. We are still expecting the second 5 allocation of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and will inform you when it is received.

“We will ensure that all future vaccine administration exercises are based solely on appointment, to avoid a situation in which vaccine administration turns into a super-spreader event. Please do not visit any of the allocated facilities unless and until you have been informed to do so,” he added.

Sanwo-Olu said all existing rules and guidelines on social and public gatherings remained in place and must be obeyed. He directed public and private establishments, entertainment spots and worship centres to continue providing sanitising materials and ensure no person is allowed into their premises without the use of face masks.

He said: “We have incontrovertible evidence that wearing face masks help in slowing down the spread of the virus, particularly the now more dominant strains. We are no longer inexperienced, as we have learnt a lot in 18 months into the pandemic. We have been able to finetune our strategies and response, and we are now in a good place to ensure that this third wave is the final one. But we must put in the work, the compliance, the regard for rules and restrictions.”