Niger State Ministry of Health has commenced the monitoring of two hundred people, out of the five hundred it has so far vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, for possible adverse reactions.
The monitoring exercise is ongoing in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Meanwhile, the vaccination of people, have in the interim, been halted.
Already the state’s Ministry of Health, through the Primary Health Care Development Agency, has distributed the vaccines to all the twenty-five Local government areas of the state.
It has also warned the officers in charge, against further vaccination, until the monitoring period of the two hundred people is over.
The ongoing monitoring exercise is termed, ‘Adverse Effect Following Immunization, AEFI and ‘Adverse Effect of Special Interest Evaluation.
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Those vaccinated so far in the state include, Niger State Governor, his wife, members of the State’s Executive Council and key government officials and their aides, among others.
Muhammad Muhammad, who is one of the members of the Niger State Taskforce on COVID-19, explained that the programme is divided into four phases.
Phase one, targets frontline and essential workers, political and health care workers.
People in phase two, are people from fifty years and above.
While those in phase three are persons between eighteen to forty-nine years.
Phase four targets people of all ages and status.
The state has so far received seventy-four thousand, one hundred and ten Covid-19 vaccines.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)