By Ayodeji Alabi
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has assured residents of the state of safety of Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine, even as he stressed the need to be vaccinated against the deadly virus.
Akeredolu gave the assurance on Wednesday in Akure during the inauguration of COVID-19 vaccination in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state received 73,570 vaccines on Tuesday.
The governor, while imploring citizens to shun unfounded rumours about the vaccine, said it had been tested and certified safe by reputable international oganisations as well as National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
“While it is true that you are not 100 per cent prevented from getting infected after vaccination, you are less likely to get seriously sick or die of COVID-19, and also less likely to infect others.
“So, I charge all our local government chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders and health workers to step up intensive sensitisation for the good people of Ondo State to register and get themselves vaccinated,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Adesegun Fatusi, Chairman, State Inter-ministerial Committee on COVID-19, described the vaccination as a very historic moment in the battle against coronavirus in the state.
He emphasised the need for people to be vaccinated in order to be immunised against the virus.
Fatusi, who described the vaccine as a potent weapon against COVID-19, expressed confidence that with the support of the governor, the war against the virus would soon be won.
NAN reports that Akeredolu was the first person to take the vaccine in the state.
Dignitaries at the event included: representatives of United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and traditional rulers. (NAN)
