Ahead of the arrival of the expected covid-19 vaccines on Tuesday, the Federal Government has launched a five-point strategy to effectively roll out the vaccines for Nigerians.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had on Sunday said Nigeria is expected to receive about four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines on Tuesday through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Assess Facility (COVAX).
COVAX is a World Health Organisation-backed programme set-up to divide about two billion doses of vaccines across 92 low-and middle-income countries.
The T.E.A.C.H Strategy which is an acronym developed by the vaccination implementing arm of the Federal Ministry of Health was launched in Abuja on Monday.
According to the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, “T: Traditional method of vaccinating target populations using desk review of available data sources, identifying the vaccination sites and rolling out; E: Electronic self-registration for health workers and the public; a link which provides an online form will be provided; A: Assisted electronic registration; C: Concomitant e-registration during walk in to fixed sites/health facilities; H: House-to-House registration using volunteers for additional push to rapidly increase the e-registration.”
The minister revealed that the launch of T.E.A.C.H and Electronic Management of Immunization Data (EMID) will ensure the smooth rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the country.
He said the strategy utilises all the benefits of traditional, electronic, assisted and concomitant house-to-house registration to optimise the use of innovative technology.
According to Ehanire, the EMID is a homegrown strategy critical to addressing challenges with integrity and quality data and ultimately, primary health care data.
“Our goal is to introduce COVID-19 vaccine in a phased and equitable manner, based on advice of the WHO and the experience we observe other countries to have made, and ultimately vaccinating all eligible Nigerians within the next 2 years, to ensure herd immunity,” he said.
