Muslim worshippers perform prayers around the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca on August 15, 2018, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city.<br />The hajj, expected to draw more than two million pilgrims to Mecca this year, represents a key rite of passage for Muslims and a massive logistical challenge for Saudi authorities, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites. / AFP PHOTO / Bandar Al-DANDANI
No fewer than 3,837 intending pilgrims for the 2021 Hajj in Kaduna state have received their first COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
The Acting Overseer of the board, Hajiya Hannatu Zailani, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday, in Kaduna, that the vaccination exercise began on April 6 and had reached all the state’s 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
“So far, we have completed the first stage of the vaccine,” she stated.
Zailani further explained that the vaccination was based on the directive from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Hajj Commission, adding that all the intending pilgrims would be made to receive the second jab, before departing for the Hajj.
She urged the intending pilgrims to always be alert for any new information that may be disseminated on the 2021 Hajj.
