… Declares 646,623 People Vaccinated
According to the Challenge Parenthood Initiative (CPI), as of November 2022, only 646,623 of Kogi State’s 2,788,335 residents had received the Covid-19 pandemic vaccine.
At a press conference on improving demand creation and uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine project in Kogi state, which CPI is implementing in collaboration with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Executive Director CPI Eunice Abimbola Agbogun made the disclosure and expressed concern that only 23% of the target eligible population have so far been immunized.
The Executive Director explained that the achieved target is too low when compared to the national average of 65%, hence the State has a lot to do to measure up.
She however added that it took a lot of effort and collaboration of CPI and CITAD through financial support from MacArthur Foundation to embark on sensitization project before the figure for vaccines uptake improved to 646,623 representing 23.2 percent of the population of the state.
“To gain citizens’ trust in the vaccines, CPI collaborated with Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, civil society partners, religious organizations, traditional rulers and media houses to debunk false information and misconceptions about Covid-19 and its vaccine.
“The project also provided capacity building for stakeholders on emerging issues related to Covid-19 vaccines and relevant topics to ensure accurate information is disseminated to the target audience” she said.
Ms. Agbogun therefore appealed to Kogi state government to provide mobility, proper supervision for safe delivery of vaccines to the people living in remote areas to increase the vaccination rate in hard-to-reach communities in the state.
The Executive Director who also solicited for prompt remuneration of health workers involved in Covid-19 vaccine campaign, urged stakeholders to continue to encourage adherence to the health/hygiene guidelines from relevant agencies.
She also urged for the need to sustain the current CPI/CITAD sponsored public education program airing in the indigenous languages as well as funds for Data bundle to enable transmission of information and smooth operation of the State operation room as incentive to enable health workers to acquire suitable mobile devices that operate the OOK Kit (ODK) app smoothly.
Furthermore, prompt remuneration of health workers involved in the COVID-19 vaccine campaign she adds as would encourage health workers and volunteers to actively participate in the exercise.
