All Staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) are to submit themselves for the COVID-19 test, a circular issued by the FCTA Health and Human Services Secretariat has stated.

The circular, a copy obtained by The Nation, indicated that the directive followed the permanent secretary’s order during an FCTA management meeting on February 18, 2021, that the health and Human Services Secretariat should conduct a COVID-19 test for all the staff of FCTA.

A team of FCT health workers were, thereafter, stationed at the FCTA secretariat and other designated locations from Monday 1st March to Friday 5th March, for the exercise.

The Nation also gathered that during the pendency of the pandemic, FCTA workers must submit themselves for the COVID-19 test when directed to do so.

However, FCTA Health and Human Services Secretariat has advised every eligible Nigerians to take the COVID-19 vaccine to curtail further spread of the virus.

Acting Secretary of the Secretariat, Dr. Mohammed Kawu, gave the advice yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Kawu said the country would not be considered safe until 70 per cent of the nation’s population was vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He added that FCT got 219,800 doses of vaccines from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, adding that the priority was to vaccinate all the health workers in FCT.

He explained that the brand of COVID-19 vaccine currently being used in Nigeria is safe and efficacious

“The President of this country, the Vice President and all the political leaders of this country have taken the vaccine.

“If it is not safe, we are not that bad as to allow our President, governors and other political leaders to take this vaccine.

“So, you can be sure this vaccine is safe.

“This vaccine is coming from a 21-year-old company, established in 1990 in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

“It is not a Third World vaccine production facility as so many people are saying.

“These vaccines are produced by the company which is a UK and Swedish based companies; they merged in 1990 to form the company.

“So, this vaccine we are getting from a very reliable source from the first world; and UK and other European countries are taking these vaccines.

“UK is presently taking these vaccines despite the hitch they got in Sweden and one other country that have withheld the administration of this vaccine.

“UK said, as far as they are concerned, they have not seen or heard any side effects that warrant stoppage of the vaccine.

“The vaccine is as potent and as safe as required.

“The problem that other countries got was some people develop trembobolism, which is common in UK.

“Probably is a coincidence, probably is one of the side effects, they are not sure.”

The Nation