Nigeria has finally been scheduled to take delivery of 3.92 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
This comes after Ghana became the first African country outside to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses shipped via the COVAX Facility on February 24, 2021.
This was made known in a joint statement by the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) on Sunday, February 28, 2021, in Abuja.
According to the statement signed by WHO, UNICEF and NPHCDA, the delivery of 3.92 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would mark the first arrival of COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.
“The arrival of the vaccine will enable the NPHCDA to commence vaccination of Nigerians in priority groups, starting with frontline healthcare workers,” Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director and Chief Executive of NPHCDA.
The statement also quoted Shuaib as saying that the arrival of the vaccine would be a result of the commitment of the Federal Government, support of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the guidance of the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire.
“In the meantime, Nigerians must continue to take steps to contain the virus, as the vaccination programme will take at least a year before it is fully effective,” the statement quoted Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Representative in Nigeria, as saying.
NAN reports that Nigeria plans to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the citizens, aged 18 years and above, in four phases within two years.
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