BY QUADRI SALIU
The Acting Director, Disease Control in the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Goni Alhaji-Abatcha has said that Borno Government has commenced COVID-19 vaccination in 87 sites across the state.
Abatcha, made this disclosure on Saturday in Maiduguri. at a meeting of stakeholders on COVID-19, organized by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) in collaboration with the United Nations populations Fund (UNFPA).
He said that the second dose of the Moderna vaccine would be 28 days after the first dose.
The director noted that the first AstraZeneca vaccination exercise recorded 98 per cent success.
He lauded UNFPA and PPFN for their interventions and mobilization of the public on the pandemic.
Alhaji-Abatcha assured them and other partners of sustained collaboration in enhancing healthcare delivery in the state.
In his address, the Acting Executive Director of PPFN, Dr Haruna Okai, said the UNFPA CSOE COVID-19 response project being implemented by PPFN in Borno and some states were also to strengthen the capacity of health facilities and service providers
Okai explained that their capacity was strengthened through technical support and information on COVID-19, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services.
In his goodwill message, the representative of UNFPA, Dr Kelvin Chukwuemeka, said the UNFPA funded project, through PPFN, was to ensure that essential GBV and SRH services were integrated with behaviour change interventions to equip and empower the vulnerable and general population with information.
This, he said, was to enable the people to prevent and respond to GBV and access integrated GBV and SRH services, and remain safe from the COVID-19 virus.
“The project ensured that access to essential GBV and health services were maintained in order to reduce COVID-19 related risks, morbidity and mortality, and to minimize disruption of critical socio-economic and health services.
“And mitigate the pandemic related impacts on critical infrastructure and pre-existing gender inequalities which perpetuated GBV and reduced access to information and services.
“UNFPA contributed to the rapid implementation of Nigeria’s COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Pandemic Response Plan around 10 key pillars, including coordination in line with SDGs 3 and 5,” Chukwuemeka said.
In their respective remarks, Pastor Usman Chiwar who represented religious leaders and Mallam Bulama Hassan who represented traditional rulers, lauded the project by UNFPA and PPFN.
They said it greatly assisted in providing the needed healthcare support and enlightenment on the COVID-19 pandemic in affected communities of Maiduguri Metropolis, Jere and Konduga LGAs.