COVID-19: Lagos vaccinates over 12,000 people in 48 hours

Lagos State Government has announced that 12,720 people have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine 48 hours after the vaccination exercise commenced in the state.

Commissioner for health Prof. Akin Abayomi made this known on Thursday via Twitter while giving the state’s COVID-19 vaccination update for March 16.

He said that from the 12, 720 people vaccinated, 6,535 were males, while 6,185 were females.

The state launched its COVID-19 vaccination exercise on March 15 in 88 health facilities including military and police hospitals which have been selected to provide vaccination across the 20 local government areas.

It officially flagged off the roll-out, distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine on March 12 at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.

The state vaccinated 268 people on March 12 at three centres as part of the activities of the vaccine roll-out, while 4,954 were vaccinated on March 15 across the 88 designated vaccine sites across the state.

On the breakdown of the category of people vaccinated on March 16, Abayomi said that healthcare workers, other frontline workers and strategic leaders in the state were vaccinated.

According to him, the total number of people vaccinated on the reported date were 7,498, with sex distribution being 3,770 males and 3, 728 females.

“Number of male healthcare workers vaccinated were 1,510 and female healthcare workers were 1, 932, making a total of 3,442.

“Other frontline workers vaccinated were 2,116 males and 1,680 females, totalling 3,796,” he said.

The commissioner added that 260 strategic leaders in the state were inoculated, comprising 144 men and 116 women.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his deputy Obafemi Hamzat, the health commissioner and some frontline healthcare workers were vaccinated on March 12.

After receiving a shot, Sanwo-Olu debunked claims that the vaccine had side effects.

“The vaccine has been declared safe by the WHO and I want to encourage everyone to take it as we begin vaccination in Lagos,” he said.