Nigerians who have been completely vaccinated can now receive COVID-19 vaccine booster doses, according to the federal government.
According to Mohammad Ohitoto, a spokesman for the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), eligible Nigerians should go to health clinics and mass immunization locations starting December 10 to get their booster shots.
The approval comes only days after the President of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced that the federal government was working on making booster doses available.
Those who have finished two doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer Bio-N-Tech, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson would be eligible for the booster shots.
Dr. Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director/CEO of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, stated that the booster dose provides better protection against the virus and advised all Nigerians to take advantage of the government’s offer.
The statement said, “The eligibility criteria for taking the booster dose are; any person 18 years and above, time interval of 6 months or more after receiving the second dose of AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer Bio-N-Tech, and time interval of 2 months or more after receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
“Consequent upon the above, eligible Nigerians are advised to visit the nearest health facility or mass vaccination site for their booster doses as from the 10th of December, 2021 across all states of the federation.”
According to the NPHCDA, 3,720,695 Nigerians, representing 3.3 percent of the population, have been fully vaccinated as of December 2.