COVID-19 vaccination in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) in Enugu State has recorded high compliance in the state, our Correspondent reports.
Our correspondent who visited three health facilities where the vaccination is taking place on Tuesday, reports that people were seen taking the vaccine including health workers and some elderly people.
The PHC facilities visited within Enugu metropolis included; Ogui Nike PHC Centre, Asata PHC Centre and Poly General Hospital, Asata, which serves as a temporary fixed post centre for the exercise.
At Ogui Nike PHC Centre, Miss Nancy Nwachukwu, a vaccinator and volunteer nurse, said that the health workers in the centre had all been vaccinated.
Nwachukwu noted that there was high turnout of elderly and middle age coming for the vaccine at the centre.
She said that no fewer than 31 persons including six of the PHC workers have so far been vaccinated since the vaccination commenced on March 19 and their green card issued to them.
“I am optimistic that before the remaining six days for the vaccination; the dose in this PHC centre will be exhausted,’’ she said.
Nwachukwu however, said that among those vaccinated, only a doctor from a private hospital had complained of mild headache which he used paracetamol and hours of bed rest to take care of.
“The real challenge we have in the exercise is that of fluctuating internet network that slow down the e-registration process,’’ the nurse added.
At Poly General Hospital, Asata, a health worker who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that all health workers in the general hospital had received their first jabs.
He however, pointed out that the Poly General Hospital was only designated as a fixed post centre for the vaccination, as it would only carry out the exercise once a week.
In Asata PHC Centre, Mrs Catherine Agbo, Supervisor of COVID-19 Vaccination, said that the response had been impressive so far.
Agbo said that the centre had vaccinated 29 persons, made up of health workers in both government-owned and private hospitals.
According to her, another set of people that have come in their numbers to the centre is the elderly and you can see some of them waiting for us to attend to them presently.
“We are working with the village mobilisation committee to sensitize people on the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination.
“Only one person today complained of weakness and dizziness after taking the vaccine and we have revived her to normalcy after watching her for over two hours,’’ she said.
One of those waiting to be vaccinated, Pa Morgan Madu, said that he had trust in the efficacy of the vaccine after notable leaders in the country had received their first jab.
Our Correspondent reports that each PHC centre was given six bottles of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine dose while each bottle can vaccinate between 10 and 12 persons.
The efficacy and integrity of each bottle opened only last for six hours and it expires.
It will also be recalled that on March 8, the state government received 65,400 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Abuja.
The PHC centres vaccination commenced on March 19 in five PHC centres and two fixed post centres in each of the 17 council areas of the state.