The Federal Government on Thursday said a total lockdown will be the last resort in its strategy to contain the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
Minister of Health Dr Osagie Ehanire, said this during the weekly ministerial briefing by the Presidential Communication Team in Abuja.
Citing the extreme effects of lockdowns on the economy and everyday life, Ehanire said the Delta variant does not pose the sort of threat that might warrant a lockdown.
He said countries have become circumspect with imposing total lockdowns as it was seen at the onset of the outbreak, adding that administrators would rather employ precision lockdowns on specific areas of the country under threat.
Ehanire said aside from free vaccines donated to the country, the federal government has paid for about 30 million doses of Johnson & Johnson doses. He added that the country would purchase about 40 million doses of the vaccines in all, since the prices of the one-shot vaccine have dropped.
Ehanire said the 176,000 doses of the Johnson&Johnson doses have already been received while the rest will come in batches.
The minister said the government would buy more vaccines used in the country rather than depending on donations from other countries.
