FG says COVID-19 vaccine is important tool to contain pandemic

The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), has said that the COVID-19 vaccine is an important tool to contain the global coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said this on Tuesday in Abuja, at the Launch of optimized S.C.AL.E.S strategy for COVID-19 Mass Vaccination in Nigeria, the Johnson&Johnson roll out and the vaccination site finder, organised by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in November 2021, the NPHCDA introduced the SCALES strategy to rapidly ramp up COVID-19 vaccine coverage by expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines outside the health facility.

Mass vaccination sites have been established at all public places such as markets, parks, shopping malls, schools, mosques, and churches.

SCALES is an acronym for service delivery, communication, accountability, logistics, electronic reporting, and supportive supervision for the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination.

Although the SCALES strategy has proven to be quite effective in ramping up COVID-19 vaccination coverage, the proportion of fully vaccinated Nigerians is still very low, partly because “we have been using two-dose vaccines”.

Ehanire noted that most Nigerians are reluctant to take their second dose for various reasons, including fear of a repeat of the mild side effects they may have experienced with the first dose.

“The federal government, through NPHCDA, continues to strive to make COVID-19 Vaccination more accessible to the people.

“There is a unique opportunity to leverage the SCALES strategy using COVID-19 vaccination structures and resources to improve Routine Immunization (RI) coverage, with improved efficiency and reduced duplication of efforts by health care workers.

“This is to ensure that while controlling the transmission of COVID-19, Nigeria does not become a fertile ground for the outbreak of childhood vaccine-preventable diseases by rapidly increasing RI uptake alongside COVID-19 uptake,” he said.

According to him, It has become imperative that we launch the SCALES 2.0 Strategy, which entails the integration of COVID-19 vaccination with childhood routine immunization for eligible adults 18 years and above and children zero to two years respectively, leveraging Mass Vaccination Campaigns, Routine Immunization Fixed sessions, Outreach services and Mobile services.

By NAN

https://guardian.ng/news/fg-says-covid-19-vaccine-is-important-tool-to-contain-pandemic/