The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to increase vaccine access and affordability to defeat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and protect people from other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The governor gave the charge in commemoration of this year’s World Immunisation Week marked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its sister agencies, with the theme, ‘Vaccines bring us closer.’
He reiterated that the importance of immunisation cannot be over emphasized as it is crucial to the survival of “our children and helps in protecting them from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Obaseki noted that there was need for improved collaboration among global stakeholders to identify more creative ways to expand vaccine access for underserved populations, get more people vaccinated against the deadly virus and attain global ‘herd immunity’.
Governor Obaseki, who stated that vaccines offer the clearest path to a state of normalcy, urged Edo residents to complement the government’s efforts at containing the pandemic and ensuring the health and safety of citizens by complying with all guidelines against the spread of the infectious disease.
“While the vaccines, which have been cleared as safe and effective, will give long lasting protection against COVID-19 infection when the complete doses are given, we must continue to comply with preventive protocols against the spread of the deadly virus, including compulsory and proper use of facemasks in public places, regular hand washing with soap under running water, physical distancing and avoiding crowds,” he stressed.
According to the WHO, “Vaccines are a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19. Working as quickly as they can, scientists from across the world are collaborating and innovating to bring us tests, treatments and vaccines that will collectively save lives and end this pandemic.
“Safe and effective vaccines will be a game changer: but for the foreseeable future we must continue wearing masks, physically distancing and avoiding crowds. Together, we can end the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve a healthier world for all.”
