Lagos State has begun vaccination of four million residents against coronavirus, as the state runs the risk of experiencing a fourth wave of the pandemic.
Speaking at the flagged off the campaign on Wednesday at Victoria Island, Lagos, the state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the mass vaccination campaign is necessary to prevent the “catastrophic” events witnessed in the previous waves.
He said the state’s borders would be opened to people during the festive season, hence the need to prevent possible fourth wave of the pandemic.
Lagos, the epicentre of the pandemic in the country, has recorded 77,723 confirmed cases, i58 active cases and 749 deaths, since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
“In development of our strategy and counter-measures, we prioritise the protection of human lives and keeping our economy open for business,” he said.
“To mitigate against this potential damage that will further spread existing variants of COVID-19 in the state, and accelerate efforts towards herd immunity, the need for a different strategy became a front-burner issue.
“Once achieved, this will bring the state closer to reaching our promise to vaccinate 30 percent of our population within one year.”
He said individuals who want to get vaccinated in approved private facilities will pay an administrative charge of N6,000, adding that the state will not force anybody to get the vaccine, wants everyone to take the vaccination as personal responsibility.
