Cross River flags off 2nd phase of COVID-19 vaccination, as state receives 120,000 vaccine doses

[From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar]

Cross River Government has flagged off the second phase of vaccination against the Coronavirus pandemic.

The vaccination was officially flagged off by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Betta Edu alongside the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong.

Speaking during the exercise Dr. Ekpenyong said 105, 000 doses of Mordena and 11, 000 doses have been sent to the state.

She said about 120,000 people in the state are expected to be vaccinated and called on the people to come forward for the exercise to avoid mutation of the virus.

“The COVID-19 keeps mutating and has caused a lot of havoc globally so this underscores the need to ensure people are vaccinated.

“We have 105, 000 doses of Mordena  for people coming for the vaccination for the first time and 11,000 Astrazeneca vaccines for people coming for the second dose.

“Much is expected of us to get almost 120,000 people vaccinated  and we are poised to actualised this”, she said.

She thanked the health workers in the state for ensuring that the state emerged the best state saying they want to maintain that position during this exercise.

On her part, Dr. Betta Edu, the State Commissioner for Health commended the governor for providing support as well as the health workers for ensuring the state achieve 117% coverage of the target population during the last exercise.

She advised residents to come out for vaccination and not take the pandemic as a joke.

She tasked residents not to take chances or gamble with their lives because the number of cases is rising.

“Cross Riverians should just come out en masse and get vaccinated as we are presently in the 3rd wave of the pandemic in the state.

“The number of confirmed cases through the PCR is rising so it’s important people come out for vaccination immediately.

“Beyond the vaccination, we must continue to observe all the COVID-19 protocols”, she said.

She said the vaccine will be available across the state as well as all the hard to reach areas of the state.

She emphasized that people who have died of COVID-19 are those who have not taken the vaccine so people should come out and take it.

Also speaking, Joy Chabo the State Immunization Officer said the state received the highest number of vaccines in the South south because of its impressive performance during the last phase of the vaccination.

She said the Delta Variant has not yet been found in the state but called on people to come out for vaccination to ensure the state has immunity.

A representative from the WHO, Dr. Pella Umar commended the zeal of the state in fighting the virus which ensured it recorded 117% during the first round.

He called on all to embrace the vaccination so as to boost the herd immunity of the entire population by at least 95%.