Third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria is preventable-NCDC boss
By Peter Usman//:
The Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said that the third wave of the pandemic in Nigeria is preventable.
Dr. Ihekweazu made this assertion on Wednesday in Abuja at the launch of the National Social Behaviour Change Campaign on COVID-19 in Nigeria, organised by the Centre for Communication and Social Impact.
He noted that the best ways to avoid the spread of COVID-19 is to adhere to the protocol and continue with the non-pharmaceutical interventions like social distancing, washing hands regularly and wearing masks.
The Director General of NCDC, who said that it is their job to give technical advice to the government stressed that they have taken the message of COVID -19 to every suburbs of the country.
He however stated that government cannot do it alone and succeed, adding that the need to collaboration with others cannot be overemphasised.
Speaking, the Nigeria Representative of the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, Mr. Peter Hawkins, said over 100 million Nigerians need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying that Nigeria has only been able to immunized about two million people.
Hawkins averred that there was the need to adhere to the lay down protocols because it would take time to vaccinate the required number of people in the country.
He however, said that the country still had a long way to go since 100 million is the target, stating that so far, Nigeria had received less than four million COVID-19 doses of the vaccines.
He informed that each person is entitled to two doses of vaccines
The Executive Director, Centre for Communication and Social Impact, Babafunke Fagbemi, in her remark during the launch said the ‘H.A.N.D.S’ campaign will continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said the need to revive the campaign against COVID-19 was very necessary considering that fact that many Nigerians feel the virus is no longer there.
Fagbemi said, “If I don’t believe in washing my hands, it means I am likely not to get vaccinated. So, let us get long term behaviours right and these behaviours are even key beyond the pandemic” she stated.