‘Only 10 people registered’ — low turnout at Kano COVID vaccination centre

Health workers in Kano have expressed concern over the low turnout of residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

TheCable had reported that the Kano state government received 209,520 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on March 9.

Aminu Tsanyawa, the state commissioner for health, had said the state will focus on frontline health workers in the first phase of vaccination.

On March 11, the ministry of health had also released a list of over 200 centres for residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine across the state.

One of such centres is the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, but during a visit to the facility on Thursday, the place was deserted.

A female health worker at the hospital, who asked to remain anonymous, told TheCable that the vaccination team was “only able to administer doses to 10 persons” who presented their international passports as means of identification.

According to her, some residents have complained about network problems when trying to register using the NPHCDA portal.

She also said the problems experienced with the registration portal may have affected the vaccination exercise.

However, at Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, also known as Nasarawa hospital, health workers maintained that they had vaccinated many persons since the start of the exercise.

“We have vaccinated many people here. Even yesterday, we have done so for many people, and as I am talking to you now, the vaccination team is at the emir’s palace,” a doctor, who preferred to remain anonymous, said.

When TheCable visited the emir’s palace, the vaccination team was said to have left.

The palace officials said after vaccinating some traditional rulers, the team had gone to the Walin Kano’s house to administer the vaccine to him and his family.

Efforts to reach Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, the state commissioner for health, to get his comments on the situation in Kano were not successful.