A frontline medical doctor, Dr. Cyprian Ngong has emerged as the first Nigerian health official to be inoculated with the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine since it arrived in Nigeria on March 2.

Ngong, who works at the National Hospital in Abuja, was redeployed to the isolation centre following the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020.

He was inoculated shortly after Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, flagged off the vaccination exercise.

The health worker was also given a vaccination card with a QR code that would display details of the vaccine and the his photograph on the screen as well as the number of doses he got.

Speaking to newsmen after the vaccination, Ngong disclosed that he felt great knowing that he would not come down with the virus in future.

“You can see, I just took the vaccine now and I feel good. I dreamt of taking this vaccine and I have taken it today.

“We have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 fight here in the National Hospital at our isolation centre.

“They have provided everything we need for this fight. We’ve lost some, won some and we are happy we are getting the vaccine now in Nigeria. I think that is about the best news we’ve had since,” he said.

The medical doctor also bemoaned the loss of his father who he said died as a result of COVID-19.

“I only wished my dad had had that vaccine months ago. We lost him, but we thank God. The fight is still on and we’ll win.”