Nigeria to begin rollout of the much-awaited administration of Covid-19 vaccine booster shots December 10, as the nation moves to speed up one of the continents slowest vaccine rollout exercise ahead of a likely fourth wave.
The approval by the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, states that the booster doses will only be administered to individuals that have completed a two-dose regimen of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer Bio-N-Tech, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson.
In an issued statement on Friday, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, (NPHCDA),Faisal Shu’aib,said the eligibility criteria for taking the booster dose include being age 18 and above.
Also, an interval of six months or more after receiving the second dose of AstraZeneca, Moderna, or Pfizer Bio-N-Tech must be observed or an interval of two months or more after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Consequent upon the above, eligible Nigerians are advised to visit the nearest health facility or mass vaccination site for their booster doses as from the 10 of December, 2021 across all States of the federation, Faisal Shu’aib said, noting that a Covid-19 booster dose gives greater protection against the virus.
He urged all Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Some 6,887,362 eligible Nigerians, representing 6.2 percent of the population, have received their first doses of the vaccine, according to the NPHCDA.
Meanwhile, 3,720,695 Nigerians, representing 3.3% of the population, have reportedly been fully vaccinated as of December 2.
