Lagos Begins Mass Vaccination Amid Fears Of Likely Fourth COVID-19 Wave

GIOTV reports that the Lagos State government has raised an alarm over the possibility of a fourth wave of COVID-19 as the Yuletide approaches.

In a bid to tackle the re-emergence of the viral infection, the government launched a mass vaccination campaign aimed at vaccinating four million residents in Lagos before the end of the year.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who launched the campaign on Wednesday at an event in Victoria Island said residents from 18 years and above were eligible to be fully immunised with the COVID-19 vaccine.“There is potential for the fourth wave of COVID-19 as our borders would be opened to all people coming into Lagos in December,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile.

“To prevent the catastrophic events we witnessed in the previous waves, the state has developed a robust vaccination drive, leveraging on both the strengths we have in the public and private sectors of our healthcare system.“In the development of our strategy and counter-measures, we prioritise the protection of human lives and keeping our economy open for business.

To mitigate against this potential damage that will further spread existing variants of COVID-19 in the state and accelerate efforts towards herd immunity, the need for a different strategy became a front-burner issue.

“This is what has culminated in the campaign, tagged ‘Count Me In! 4 million Lagosians Vaccinated Against COVID-19’ to target the full vaccination of four million Lagos residents before the end of December 2021. Once achieved, this will bring the state closer to reaching our promise to vaccinate 30 per cent of our population within one year.”

The accelerated vaccine rollout is being undertaken by the state government in collaboration with National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).