COVID-19 Vaccine: Kano identifies 509 health facilities for vaccination

By IDRIS JIBRIN  

The Kano State government has rolled out its COVID-19 Vaccination Plan and identified 509 health facilities that will be used as vaccination centres.

Some of the centres proposed for the exercise include the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Muhammadu Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital, and Dala Orthopaedic Hospital, among others.

Speaking at a stakeholder sensitisation meeting on Monday, the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, explained that the exercise would follow the same pattern used during the polio vaccination in order to reach the entire people of the state.

“We also need to follow the same pattern with that of our effort during the first wave of the COVID-19 and to achieve this, our health workers are well trained for that and they are recognised to be one of the best in the country.

“They performed wonderfully well before and during the first wave of the pandemic; they are still sustaining the tempo,” the governor said.

He noted that for effective administration, all categories of people would be involved in the sensitisation programmes, especially the health-related professional associations.

Governor Ganduje also gave an assurance that the state government, along with all the stakeholders, would ensure they win the fight against the pandemic.

On his part, the Technical Coordinator of the Kano State COVID-19 Response Team, Dr Tijjani Hussaini, noted that there would be four phases for the proposed vaccination exercise in the state.

“The first phase will focus on frontline health workers, the second phase focuses on the remaining health workers and people above 50 years, the third phase will focus on people with underlying health issues, and the fourth phase will focus on other target population,” he outlined.

Dr Hussaini, however, stressed the need for people to come forth and register online, using the link – http://t.co/85Rj6MbZYU.

He explained that this was important for the Federal Government to make the vaccines available as much as possible for the state.

A Professor of Public Health at the Bayero University in Kano, Mukhtar Gandanya, made a presentation titled ‘COVID-19 Vaccine: Facts, Misconception and Myths’.

He insisted that the vaccine was safe and condemned the insinuations that it was not safe for use.

Others at the meeting included heads of security agencies in the state, such as police, army, air force, civil defence, and immigration service. (Channels TV)