Pandemic will be kicked out like polio, Ganduje assures

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has been vaccinated for COVID-19.
At the flag-off ceremony of the vaccination exercise, held at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital yesterday, Ganduje took the shot of the vaccine at exactly 2: 49pm
The vaccine was administered to the governor by Dr Fakhraddeen Yahaya Muhammad, in the presence of some members of the State Executive Council, representative of Kano Emirate, frontline health workers, a select of development partners and other critical stakeholders.
This marks the beginning of vaccination exercise in the state. Before today’s event, two days back, the governor had series of sensitisation/stakeholders meetings with different sections of stakeholders, ranging from security agencies, health professionals and others.
In his remark, Ganduje said the coming of the vaccine is the beginning of the end of COVID-19 in Kano state, calling on the people to register and make themselves available to be vaccinated at the nearest designated centres.
“We have done what we can to ensure this exercise is successful. We have provided facilities for the exercise. We have provided effective equipment for the storage of the vaccines.
“ We have good and professional health workers who would complement the success of the exercise. I urge them to double their efforts. I am sure that COVID-19 would be eradicated as we eradicated polio in Kano state,” Ganduje assured.
Earlier in a remark, the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Tsanyawa said the state has provided 509 facilities for the vaccination exercise.
According to him, the government had also provided effective storage equipment at state, local and ward level in order to keep the potency of the vaccine.
He described the vaccination exercise as an important intervention in the fight against the pandemic, adding that the state’s Ministry of Health is fully ready to commence the vaccination in order to decimate the virus in the state.
Others that were vaccinated include the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, former Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Ali Abubakar Jatau, state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, Coordinator Technical Response Committee, some health workers, some commissioners, among others.