…Urges residents to be available for vaccination
Abimbola Abatta, Osogbo
Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Wednesday took the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the Government House, Osogbo.
The vaccine was administered by the Chief Medical Director, Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Prof. Peter Olaitan.
The vaccine was also administered to the Governor’s wife, Kafayat Oyetola, the Deputy Governor, Mr Benedict Alabi, and some senior officials.
On Tuesday evening the State government had received 64, 240 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
The government had earlier administered the doses of the vaccine on the frontline medical personnel in line with the protocol and schedule by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Speaking at the event, Governor Oyetola said the decision to be part of the first set of citizens to take the vaccine was to build confidence in the public, particularly citizens and residents of the State, that the vaccine is safe.
The Governor noted that the move was aimed at demonstrating leadership after some of the frontline medical personnel had been vaccinated accordingly.
He said, “Today, I am happy to report that we have given the fight a good shot, notwithstanding the obvious challenges.
“On this note, I want to single out our health workers for their untiring efforts at containing the spread of the virus. We will not relent until we defeat the virus in our State.
“I have just received my first jab of the vaccine as a demonstration of leadership after some of our frontline medical personnel had been vaccinated in line with the protocol and schedule by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
“With this, we are beginning to see the end of Covid-19. I encourage Osun citizens and residents to register and present themselves for vaccination”, he said.
The Governor who urged the residents to make themselves available and get vaccinated warned that the move was necessary as part of efforts to permanently eliminate the virus.
He urged them to always adhere strictly to safety protocols and guidelines as the second wave of the virus is still tormenting the entire world, adding that taking the vaccine does not mean throwing away the non-pharmaceutical Covid-19 protocols.
In his words, “We would like our people to know that Coronavirus is our common enemy. It poses a threat to our lives and livelihood. We, therefore, appeal to our citizens and the general public to cooperate with us to tame this deadly virus by not only presenting themselves for vaccination but also observing the protocols even after being vaccinated.”