No fewer than 40,000 residents of the Federal Capital Territory have received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccines since the roll out of the exercise in March.
The acting executive secretary, FCT Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Nda-Eyo Iwot, stated this while monitoring the vaccination of FCT lawmakers. She said the figure is part of the 1million doses so far inoculated nationwide.
While harping on the safety of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Iwot urged residents to ignore conspiracy theories and fake news being pushed on social media, adding that no known adverse effect of the vaccine has been recorded.
He clarified that two of the five cases bandied around are not directly linked to the vaccine.
While commending the law makers for publicly taking the vaccine, the permanent secretary of the FCT, Mr. Adesola Olusade, said the move will not just validate the efficacy and safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but also boost public confidence on the exercise.
The permanent secretary also added that government will not make it compulsory for Nigerians to take the jab. He added that certain situations may necessitate taking the jab.
Speaking to journalists after taking the jab, Senator Phillip Aduda, commended the efforts of the FCT administration in curbing the spread of the pandemic.
