Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat receive COVID-19 vaccine

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi have taken their first jab of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine today (Friday).

The vaccine administration kicked off at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.

Sanwo-Olu, who thanked frontline workers for their services, promised that the government would come out with a strategy to vaccinate the people.

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He hoped the world would be free of the virus soon.

The governor also urged the people to refrain from spreading false information.

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Prof Abayomi, who was the first to be vaccinated, assured the people that the vaccine is safe. He said he felt like his normal self after the shot was administered.

The commissioner however said expectant mothers and children below 18 years old were exempted from taking the vaccine.

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He said: “We are not recommending the vaccine for expectant mothers at this point in time. We are however watching the landscape and scientific data to see whether at some point in time we would have enough information and confidence to give to pregnant women, and at what stage of the pregnancy it can be administered.

“Another group of persons exempted are those under 18 years because the clinical trials did not include children to ascertain the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.

” The vaccines are safe for everyone because the clinical trials included ethnic representations across the world and countries where the trials were done, and the collective result suggests that all ethnic groups across the world demonstrate appropriate response to the vaccine to acquire suitable level of immunity as prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Other health practitioners also took their jabs while administration is expected to continue.”