Kogi took delivery of 16, 900 doses of the vaccine on Monday.

Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu, flagged-off the exercise just as Dr Abubakar Yakubu, Executive Director, Kogi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (KSPHCDA), was the first person to take the jab.

He was followed by the Chief Medical Director of Kogi Hospital Management Board, Dr Usman Zakari, and some other medical officers.

Some other dignitaries who received the vaccines were CAN Chairman in Kogi, Bishop John Ibenu and Chairman of Kogi chapter of Jamaatul Nasir Islamiyyah (JNI), Amb. Usman Bello.

Chairman of Kogi branch of the Nigeria Medical Association, Dr Omakoji Oyiguh and some journalists also took the jab.

In his remarks, Dr Audu called on Kogi residents to volunteer to take the vaccine, saying nobody would be deprived or forced to receive it.

“I want to clarify that nobody is exempted or will be deprived from this exercise; also nobody will be forced to take it,’’ Audu said.

The commissioner explained Gov. Yahaya Bello’s initial cynicism about the virus and the vaccine when he said it was about “a leader who does not want to deprive his people of an intervention that may be potentially beneficial to the people.

“At the same time, the governor wanted to avoid exposing his people to a new intervention that may be potentially harmful to the people.’’

He commended the governor for ensuring that the vaccine was eventually deployed in Kogi and said the ministry had taken delivery of 16, 900 out of the total of 33, 000 doses designated for the state.

He said the remaining 16, 100 doses of the vaccines would be deployed in a fortnight.

In his remarks, Dr Yakubu, of KSPHCDA, said the vaccine had passed through series of laboratory tests by the WHO, NAFDAC and other relevant agencies. “The vaccine is virile and safe for the people of the state,’’ he said.

He urged Kogi residents to dismiss claims in some quarters that the vaccine was unsafe.

Bishop Ibenu, in his remarks, commended Kogi government for its pragmatic approach in managing the COVID-19 pandemic from the onset.

He assured Kogi residents that CAN would be the number one organisation to stand against anything that could harm anyone.

He stressed that it was against international standard and health practice to introduce anything that would be harmful to humanity.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe; there is no trick in it; please let us take it to boost our health immunity against the virus,’’ Ibenu said.

On his part, the JNI chairman, Amb. Bello, appealed to Kogi people not to be deceived against the genuineness of the vaccine.

He assured that JNI would intensify efforts at sensitising Kogi residents to take the vaccine.

Representatives of the WHO, the National Public Healthcare Development Agency, People Living with Disabilities and the NMA also spoke at the flag-ff.

Also at the occasion, the Dr Audu inaugurated a team of selected scientists to conduct research on COVID-19 and investigate any adverse effect of the vaccine.

The team would also research into the scientific explanation behind the relative sparing of Kogi by the COVID-19, the health commissioner said.

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Saka Audu, the state commissioner for health, said though they were tested, the cases are fictitious — raising questions on the authenticity of the patients’ diagnosis.

In a statement on Saturday, Audu said: “One needs not dig deeper to see the handwriting clearly written on the wall at how desperate NCDC is to nail Kogi State with a COVID-19 case and there is no telling how low they are willing to stoop to do so.

“They claim the patient was positive but hasn’t been taken to an Isolation centre. As at this moment he is still in the National Hospital.”

Despite the state government’s denial of the status of COVID-19 in the state, members of the community where the index cases were reported had confirmed the infection has “found its way” to their area.

They said the chief imam of Kabba, one of the index COVID-19 cases, never travelled out of Kogi, suggesting he contracted it from within the state.

The test kits, which the state government said were used to test the contacts, are not as accurate as tests done in molecular laboratories certified for COVID-19 testing, as previously reported by TheCable.

Audu said the doctor who first attended to the index case said he had no “fever, cough or difficulty in breathing … the only complaint was that of general body weakness”.

“The Doctor had no reason to refer the patient to FMC Lokoja except on the insistence of the patient because they felt he was not getting better,” he said, adding: “On reaching FMC on the 24th of May 2020, FMC claimed the patient was referred to them on account of one week history of fever, cough and difficulty in breathing with high suspicion of Covid-19, a claim the referring Doctor has vehemently refuted.”

The commissioner also said the state had attempted to evacuate the patient at the National Hospital in Abuja and test him using a private molecular laboratory and the state’s rapid test kits, but “the patient eventually denied us the opportunity to get it done, siting fear of receiving punishment from the Federal Government (NCDC)”.

“We also wish to categorically state that though NCDC has consistently refused to support Kogi State in her fight against Covid-19, WHO had been part of our team till date,” he said.

“Though NCDC refused to follow their own protocols on visiting the State, WHO staff who travelled out of our State and returned have always obeyed the rule of self isolation for 14 days.

“Despite the fact that we do not accept the fictitious cases, we have gone ahead to do contact tracing to identify all those who came in contact with them, tested them and they all came back negative. They will be retested in the next 14 days post first contact.

“The normal NCDC protocol is to collect samples through the State Ministries of Health where an Epid. form (Epidemiological form) will be filled by the State epidemiologist and a sample number called an epid number attached to accompany the sample to the laboratory for onward testing. In this case, who filled the form? Where is the sample’s Epid. no.? Is it the FCT state epidemologist that filled the form and took samples at the same time? If that is the case then they should have recorded the cases for FCT and not bother us with their ruse.”

He accused the NCDC of “manufacturing fictitious claims and attaching them to states”, wondering “how eager they are to announce confirmed cases”.

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The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu, who confirmed this to newsmen in Lokoja, said that the victim was one of the 15 persons that had contact with Aisha before her death at the General Hospital, Irua, Edo.

According to Audu, the victim said to be 14 years old and immediate younger sister to the late Aisha started manifesting the symptoms on Sept. 3.

He said that victim and 14 others had been in isolation in a ward at the State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, since the late Aisha was diagnosed of the disease.

“The State Rapid Response Team already had an alert cases of 15 persons and they are monitoring them on daily basis.

“We have already prepared an Isolation Centre in Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, to take care of the patients,” the commissioner said.

He said that the blood sample of the victim had been collected for laboratory test and confirmation.

“The patient will be transferred to Irua if tested positive for Lassa fever.

“We urge the general public to remain calm and give us the necessary support as the state government is working round the clock to forestall further loss of life,” Audu said.

Aisha Jimoh, an 18-year-old senior secondary school student, had died of Lassa fever in the early hours of Sept. 4, at the General Hospital, Irua, Edo.

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