Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unveiled the state’s masterplan on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mass vaccine immunization to tackle the pandemic spread.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the state is targeting a 60 per cent vaccine rollout when the vaccination programme begins in the coming weeks, stressing that the figure would help check the rate of transmission and build the resilience of the state against the ravaging virus.
Sanwo-Olu, who spoke on “Sunday Politics”, a live television programme anchored by Channels TV’s Kayode Okikiolu, said his administration did not have the plan to make the COVID-19 vaccine available to all residents, as the state may not have the resources to do that.
He noted that critical segments in the state population would be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity against the pandemic.
Aside from the vaccine arrangement being made by the Federal Government for states, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos, which is the epicentre of COVID-19 infection, had activated plans to augment the vaccine that would be delivered to the state.
He said: “As a sovereign, we want the Federal Government to take the lead in getting the vaccine. As a sub-national government, we are taking our destiny into our own hand. We have started a conversation with some of the vaccine manufacturers. I have made contact with Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca. Developers of Moderna have written to us and we have written back to them.
“We don’t have to vaccinate the whole of 22 million people in Lagos. The plan is around ensuring that there is herd immunity and that typically speaks to 50 to 60 per cent of our population. That’s the target we need to really meet in vaccine rollout.”
