The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, says it has given over $5m additional funds to support the administering of the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.
The Deputy Project Director, Risk Communication, of Breakthrough Action Nigeria, Dr. Olayinka Umar-Farouk revealed this on weekend during a Workplan Development Workshop for the 2023 fiscal year.
Farouk explained that the funding was aimed at addressing vaccine hesitancy across different States in Nigeria, with key focus on people living with HIV and AIDS, healthcare workers and persons with co-mobidity illnesses.
According to the statement issued to journalists in Uyo, ”Breakthrough Action Nigeria has been funded by USAID since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 to support risk communication and community engagement efforts in Nigeria.
“In furtherance of the government’s efforts to attain 70% vaccination coverage of all eligible adults by September 2022, Breakthrough Action Nigeria has reached 741,791 persons with COVID-19 messages via mass
vaccination activities between November 2021 – March 2022 across FCT, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bauchi, Sokoto, Bayelsa and Kano states. Through these activities, 415,376 persons have been vaccinated.”
The statement revealed that according to reports of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, COVID-19 has affected a total number of 256,415 persons in Nigeria, causing the death of 3,144 persons, while 250,147 persons were successfully treated.
It added that the organisation will put more efforts in the next fiscal year in ensuring that people understand the need to protect themselves and families against the virus, as well as increase vaccine acceptance with focus on persons living with HIV/AIDS, people living with other illnesses which COVID-19 affects, as well as healthcare workers.
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