The Ebonyi Commissioner for Health, Dr Daniel Umezurike has declared that the state does not have any COVID-19 case at present.
Umezurike made the declaration on Friday in Abakaliki while briefing newsmen on the ministry’s enlightenment campaign that individuals who took the first jab of the vaccine should take the second.
The commissioner said that the state was still conducting tests for the disease but had not recorded any positive case at present.
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“There is also no present case of cholera or Lassa fever in the state as our ultra-modern isolation centre has no patient on admission.
“We are, however, presently emphasising on risk communication among the citizens and enjoining them to continue adhering to all COVID-19 protocols.
“People should visit the health centres nearest to them to be vaccinated without any cost,” he said.
He said that the state government secured an initial 46,090 doses of Astrazeneca vaccine and had provided the same dosage for the second phase.
“We procured a combination of Astrazeneca and Modena vaccines for the second stage and therefore have enough vaccines for the citizens.
“We still procured the Astrazeneca vaccine in this second phase because the number of those who took the first jab of the vaccine and have defaulted in taking the second jab was high.
“We have intensified efforts to track these defaulters but still appeal to them to present themselves for the second jab,” he said.
Umezurike said that those who took the first jab of Astrazeneca would only take the same vaccine for the second jab while those who had not taken any jab would start with the modena vaccine.
“We are not administering the vaccine on pregnant women and nursing mothers and also we check individual’s blood-glucose level for those suffering from diabetes and hypertension.
“We concentrated on health workers, elderly people above 60 years, and some strategic leaders in the first phase but we are presently vaccinating anyone above 18 years of age,” he said.