The National Primary Health Care Development Agency has commenced online registration of Nigerians interested in taking COVID-19 vaccination ahead of the Tuesday arrival of the first batch of the nation’s vaccines.

The agency disclosed this in a series of messages posted on its Twitter handle, @NphcdaNG, on Monday.

“We have provided an e-registration link to enable Nigerians (to) register for the #COVID19Vaccine themselves, obtain their pre-vaccination numbers and schedule their preferred date and time for vaccination,” one of the messages quoted the agency’s Executive Director, Faisal Shuaib, as saying.

“To register for #COVID19 Vaccination, visit our website https://t.co/RVn9HsK1Ga and click on COVID-19 Vaccination e-registration,” another message read.

The agency however made it clear that in the first phase of the vaccination, health care workers, frontline workers, including the military, police, oil and gas workers, Nigerians at the border posts, and strategic leaders among others will be prioritized.

In another message, the NPHCDA disclosed that a female healthcare professional, Osindeinde Abodede, emerged as the first person to register for the vaccination.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Osindeinde Ademilayo Abosede, frontline health care professional. She is the first to register for the #COVID19 Vaccination,” the message read.

According to the text message received by the healthcare worker after completing her registration, which was attached to the tweet, she was booked to be vaccinated on March 12, 2021, between 10 am and 12 noon in Abuja.

The message read, “Dear Osindeinde Ademilayo Abosede, you have successfully registered and scheduled for the first dose of COVID-19 Vaccine at FC (sic) Abuja Sheraton and Towers Hospital in 2021-03-12. Morning -10am -12noon.”

Her vaccination ID was blurred in the message.

A visit to the Electronic Management of Immunisation Data platform on the NPHCDA website by our correspondent showed that those registering will be required to select their preferred vaccination site, date of vaccination, and preferred time slot and upload their photograph aside from their personal details like names, contact phone number, and residential address among others.

They will also be expected to answer questions such as if they work in the health sector, any known medical condition, and any history of allergies.

The chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had on Saturday disclosed that about four million doses of vaccines from the COVAX facility were expected to arrive in Nigeria on Tuesday.

Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, had told journalists that the disclosure was based on the information provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund.