BY OLUWATOSIN IGHOTEGUONO
Ondo state government is targeting vaccination of three million residents against covid-19 before the end of January 2022.
This, it plans to achieve through a mass vaccination campaign, MVC which had already commenced and had vaccinated over 300,000 residents.
The permanent secretary, Ondo state primary health care agency ODPHCA, Dr Francis Akanbiemu who announced this in Akure during a stakeholders meeting on covid-19 said 196 vaccination sites were already on ground to ensure successful implementation of the vaccination exercise.
Dr Akanbiemu who was represented by the director, community health services and education, Dr Samuel Abiona said the exercise was aimed achieving health immunity by ensuring that all residents of Ondo state were vaccinated against covid-19 especially with the emergence of omicron variant.
Dr Akanbiemu explained that government had designated all public primary, secondary and territory health facilities across the state as mass vaccination centres while it was also in partnership with some private hospitals to release their facilities for the exercise.
He listed Democracy park, Oke-Eda, shoprite area,FUTA and new town market, Oke-Aro as the mass vaccination sites in Akure South, Benin Park, Akure North, Sabo market, Odigbo, Akure motor park, Oja-Oba and Sabo area for Ondo West while Oja-Oba and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic are for Owo and Akungba Akoko for Akoko South West
Also speaking, the director, disease control and immunization, Dr Victor Adefesoye appealed to residents yet to be vaccinated against covid-19 to present themselves for the
mass vaccination campaign to ward-off the virus.
Speaking extensively on MVC, Director, Disease Control and Immunisation, Dr. Victor Adefesoye explained that the immunisation of 3million people would enable the state have a third immunity adding that the government has expand the scope of vaccination centres for easy access by residents.
Representative, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Mr Adetunji Adeoye who described the COVID-19 era as a critical period in the country assured the people of skilled manpower to conduct the vaccination
Speaking on behalf of supporting partners, Mr Tunde Ayoade of UNICEF commended the state for giving its best in terms of the vaccination exercise in the country noting that federal government hadput in place MVC to get 30 percent of the population vaccinated against COVID-19.
State health Educator, Mrs Yetunde Akinyosoye hinted that outreaches had been put in place to ensure that the interior was covered appropriately for the exercise calling on all to play their role well in ensuring that 50 percent of the targeted 3million was covered by the end of January, 2022.