Ondo State Governor,  Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN on Wednesday, took the first jab of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses, assuring the people of the state that the vaccines are safe for use. 

He said the state received a total of 73,570 doses of the vaccines from the Federal Government on Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

The Governor took the first Jab alongside his Deputy, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa at the Cocoa Conference Center, Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure. 

He said in line with the guidelines laid down by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the eligible population for the COVID-19 vaccination is citizens aged 18 years and above including pregnant women.  

Governor Akeredolu disclosed that the vaccination exercise will be rolled out in four phases, adding that the first recipients will be front-line health workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, laboratory network, petrol station workers, policemen, and strategic leadership.

“In phase two, the recipients will be older adults aged 50 years and above; those with co-morbidities aged 18-49 years.

“Phase three will be those in Local Government Areas with high disease burden who missed Phases 1 & 2 while Phase four will other eligible population as vaccines become more available.

Galaxy News correspondent Segun Falomo reports that the governor has assured the people of the state that the Ondo State Cold Chain is fully functional and ready to receive and properly store the COVD-19 vaccines.