On Friday, March 12, 2021 the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo received his first jab of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine days after receiving over 500,000 doses from the Federal Government.
Sanwo-Olu received his vaccine moments after the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, became the first person in Lagos to receive the vaccine.
Both men were infected with the virus last year and made successful recoveries after receiving palliative care.
“No pain and no panic,” Prof Abayomi tweeted after he received his jab.
Health care workers at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba also started receiving vaccines at the centre where the campaign was launched on Friday.
Lagos kicked off its vaccination campaign at a time when many European countries are suspending deployment of the AstraZeneca vaccine over safety concerns.
At least seven countries have suspended administration of the vaccine following serious cases of blood clots among vaccinated people, but no direct link has been drawn yet.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has already assured Nigerians that the vaccine is safe to receive despite the concerns raised overseas.
The vaccine is administered in two doses taken weeks apart, and has 63.09% efficacy, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) that approved it for emergency use in February.
