Kogi State has finally expressed readiness to start administering the COVID-19 vaccine to residents, after repeatedly stating that the state was free of the disease.
The state commissioner for health, Saka Haruna, confirmed Kogi will now receive doses of the vaccine on Tuesday ahead of the rollout shortly after.
He also said the residents will be given “unhindered access to receive the vaccine”.
Kogi is the only state yet to start administering the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to residents three weeks after Nigeria began its rollout as the governor, Yahaya Bello, insisted that the virus did not exist in his state.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) had attributed the delay to two factors: The state’s “concerns around the contradictory information about the vaccines” and the non-repair of its cold-chain store.
When the vaccine doses arrived Nigeria, Yahaya Bello, the governor — who had repeatedly denied the existence of COVID-19 in Kogi — said the vaccination is among their least concerns.
“COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we’re treating in Kogi state. I’m not going to subject the people of Kogi state to vaccination, or I will not make them guinea pigs.” he had said.
But speaking on Monday, Haruna said “everything” is set for the state to start the vaccination rollout.
“We have done the microplanning and everything has been completed with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA),” the commissioner said in a phone interview.
“Anybody that is willing to receive the vaccine (will receive it); nobody is exempted. And nobody will be forced to receive the vaccine.”
The official also said the state will announce further plans including the location of the vaccination launch after receiving the supplies.
Recall that Kogi State senators and House of Representative members, earlier this month, said they are yet to make a decision on whether or not they would receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Senator Smart Adeyemi said “The Kogi State legislators in the National Assembly have not thought of taking the vaccines yet, but if ever we will take it at all, it is because we are in Abuja where there is COVID-19 but there is no COVID in our state.”
