Covid-19 Vaccine: Osun inaugurates 30-man committee 

Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has reiterated his administration commitment towards flattening the curve of COVID-19-pandemic.

This was reechoed on Tuesday during the inauguration of a 30-man technical committee for COVID-19 vaccination in Osogbo.

He noted that with the measures already put in place by his administration, the state has been able to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases and attendant fatality.

The Governor, who was represented at the event by his Deputy, Mr. Benedict Alabi, said the terms of reference of the Committee predicated on the need to safeguard the people against the scourge of the pandemic.

According to him, the Committee was saddled with the responsibility to create awareness in all communities across the state for the purpose of instilling the trust of the vaccine in the people and to assist in electronic registration of the residents, for the smooth running of the exercise.

The 30 -man Committee has the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji, as Chairman while the Commissioners for Health, Information as well as Special Advisers to the Governor on public health and security as members.

Other members of the Committee include the heads of State Ministry of Health, Osun Primary Health Care Development Board, representatives from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, World Health Organization, UNICEF, Religious Organizations among others.

“Our administration, in it’s commitment to the welfare of the people of Osun has put several measures in place to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases and attendant fatality.

“These strategies range from inaugurating the State Technical Working Group on COVID-19, setting up of 4 Isolation Centers in the State, located in the State Specialist hospital in Osogbo, Ejigbo, OAUTHC and Mercy land hospital.

“The procurement of drugs and infection prevention and control equipment, training of healthcare workers of various cadre, community sensitization, support of the surveillance system adopting contact tracing and active case search to enhance laboratory response and ambulance services.

“Other measures include community engagements as well as airing of information on COVID-19 and introduction of work from home policy for officers below GL 12, in accordance with the national COVID-19 guidelines”, Oyetola stated.

He expressed conviction that the Committee would work assiduously to the benefit of the people of the state and ultimately reduce morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 pandemic.

In their separate remarks, the representatives of the various national and international agencies, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, National Orientation Agency, World Health Organization, UNICEF and a host of others gave Osun a pass mark in it’s approach and pattern of management of the ravaging virus.