The Federal Government of Nigeria Monday launched the T• E• A• C• H strategy to ensure the effective roll-out of the Oxford-AstraZrneca COVID-19 vaccines as the country expects the arrival of the 3.92 million doses on Tuesday, March 2.
The Minister, Federal Ministry of Health(FMoH), Dr. Osagie Ehanire during the launch is the strategy in Abuja explained that T.E.A.C.H, is an acronym for a 5-point strategy developed by the vaccination implementing arm of the FMoH.
He highlighted the acronym as, 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.
He said the launch of T.E.A.C.H and Electronic Management of Immunization Data (EMID) will ensure smooth rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the country while adding that thestrategy utilises all the benefits of traditional, electronic, assisted and concomitant house-to-house registration to optimize the use of innovative technology.
Dr. Osagie also said 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.
The delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccines is part of an overall 16 million doses planned to be delivered to Nigeria in batches over the next months.
Ghana received 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines, making it the first country to benefit from the COVAX programme. Ivory Coast also received over 500,000 doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
In his opening remark, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib said the Country have provided an e-registration link to enable eligible Nigerians register for the COVID-19 vaccination.
Dr. Faisal also said this will ensure individuals obtain their pre-vaccination numbers and schedule the date and time to receive the vaccine while adding that to register for COVID-19 Vaccination, individual should visit the Agency’s website nphcda.gov.ng and click on ‘COVID-19 Vaccination e-registration,” he said.
According to him, the vaccine roll-out will be in gour phases; the first phase of the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine would target health workers, frontline workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, laboratory network, policemen petrol station workers and strategic leaders.
“Phase 2 – Older adults aged 50 years and above
Those with co-morbidities aged 18 – 49 years of age. Phase 3 – Those in states/LGAs with high disease burden and who missed phases 1 and 2 and Phase 4- Other eligible population as vaccines become available.
“They will need to be scheduled for the vaccination by filling the EMID and those who are not health workers will be made aware of when they can get their turn,” he said.
The Minister further said the ministry has placed emphasis on the various pillars of overall response strategy in the country.
“From community engagement and risk communication, to improving COVID-19 case management, to maintaining routine and essential medical services, to providing more timely physical, and eventually financial access to healthcare service, during personal health emergency, so that we do not suffer decline in other areas of healthcare, and now to access of all eligible Nigerians to vaccine administration,” he said.
He said with all of the strategies already in place, Nigeria is inching closer to gaining control of the pandemic while urging all stakeholders to have faith in the government’s plan and align with the initiatives born of years of experience in the immunization space.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Country representative in Nigeria,
Walter Mulombo, noted that the country has led an exemplary response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the launch of the strategy.
“On behalf of the WHO and all development partners, I wish to congratulate all Nigerians for this important milestone,” he said.
He added that it was rightly said that this year is about vaccine but we must also ensure we continue with layed down strategies to curb the virus.
