Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Obaseki canvasses global action, collaboration on vaccine access, affordability

By Michael Egbejule, Benin City
27 April 2021   |   3:00 am
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, canvassed stronger collaboration among stakeholders to increase vaccine access and affordability to conquer the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obaseki. Photo: TWITTER/GOVERNOROBASEKI

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, canvassed stronger collaboration among stakeholders to increase vaccine access and affordability to conquer the COVID-19 pandemic.

He gave the charge during the commemoration of this year’s World Immunisation Week marked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its sister agencies, with the theme: Vaccines Bring Us Closer.

He stressed that the importance of immunisation could not be over emphasised, as it was crucial to the survival of “our children and helps protect them from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Obaseki noted that there was the need for improved collaboration among global stakeholders to identify more creative ways of expanding vaccine access to underserved populations, get more people vaccinated against the virus and attain global ‘health immunity’.

The governor, who stated that vaccines offer the clearest path to a state of normalcy, urged Edo residents to complement the government’s efforts at containing the pandemic and ensuring the health and safety of citizens by complying with all guidelines against spread of the disease.

“The vaccines, which have been cleared as safe and effective, will give long lasting protection against COVID-19 infection when the complete doses are administered.

“But we must continue to comply with preventive protocols against the spread of the deadly virus, including compulsory and proper use of face masks in public places, regular hand washing with soap under running water, physical distancing and avoiding crowds,” he stressed.

The WHO had maintained that vaccines were a critical new tool in the fight against COVID-19 and that working as quickly as they could, scientists were collaborating and innovating globally to bring tests, treatments and vaccines that would collectively save lives and end the pandemic.

“Safe and effective vaccines will be a game changer, but for the foreseeable future, we must continue wearing masks, maintain physical distancing and avoid crowds. Together, we can end the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve a healthier world for all,” it stated.

In this article

0 Comments