Lagos state government considers other sources of COVID-19 vaccines to achieve herd immunity

The Lagos state government says it is considering getting COVID-19 vaccines from other sources in a bid to speed up vaccination.

Akin Abayomi, the commissioner of health, told NAN on Sunday that the state is considering vaccinating its entire population in order to achieve herd immunity and prevent the emergence of new strains of the virus.

“While the first national target of vaccination is 60 percent, we in Lagos are looking for vaccines to create full coverage that will be safe,” he said.

“And even for children, as well as other immuno-compromised individuals that do not fall into the normal criteria, as the pace at which we are going is extremely slow.

“We’re looking for avenues and activities to speed this up; donor partners, private sector, through advocacy because it appears that this virus is not going away anytime soon.

“If you vaccinate only 60 percent of your population, the remaining 40 per cent remains vulnerable, and the virus can circulate within that 40 percent and create new strains, which can then affect those that have been vaccinated.

“Countries are now talking about booster shots, whereas in Lagos, we haven’t been able to deliver more than one per cent of the population. We know that the vaccine campaign is critical and to mitigate subsequent waves.”