COVAX COVID-19 vaccine due in Nigeria on Tuesday – WHO

 

 

LAGOS – Nigeria scheduled to take delivery of 3.92 million doses of COVAX sponsored COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday ,March 2, 2021. The delivery will mark the 1st arrival of COVID-19 vaccine in the country and make Nigeria the 3rd West African country to benefit from the COVAX Facility after Ghana & Cote d’Ivoire.

The arrival of the vaccine will enable the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to commence vaccination of Nigerians in priority groups, starting with  frontline healthcare workers, the World Health Organisation, (WHO), United Nations Children Education Fund(UNICEF) and NPHCDA have said in a joint statement.

“The arrival of the vaccine is the result of the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of HE, President Muhammadu Buhari, the support of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the guidance of the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire”, said Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director and Chief Executive of the NPHCDA.

“We are fully prepared to receive and deliver the vaccine to eligible Nigerians  as we have commenced the training of healthcare workers and ensure that the cold chain systems that can store all types of COVID-19 vaccine in accordance with the required temperature. We are therefore confident that  we will have a very effective rollout the vaccine, starting with out very critical  healthcare workers,  who are in the frontline in providing the care we need”, Shuaib added.

“The COVAX facility has worked  exceptionally hard to ensure that  Nigeria gets the vaccine as soon as possible  so that it can get its vaccination programme to the largest population in Africa”, said  Peter Hawkins,  UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative.