Nigeria to get 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine

The Federal Government says it is expecting to receive 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the first quarter of 2021.

Executive Secretary, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, gave the indication at the presidential task force on COVID-19 media briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

He said Nigeria had put in place the machinery for this, adding that the country is a member of COVAX, an international coalition, under the WHO umbrella.

Shuaib added that 92 countries came together to ensure access and safety of vaccines.

He said the expected 20 million doses will first be given to workers in the health sector and vulnerable citizens.

“We are on course to access safe vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. We will be leveraging on the polio platform to ensure effective delivery of vaccines to our vulnerable population,” he said.

H added, “We have established a supra-ministerial advisory committee to ensure a seamless administration. A technical group meets every week and has devised a risk communication plan to deliver safe vaccines to Nigerians.”

A former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said Nigeria and other African countries will have access to COVID-19 vaccines as from the end of January through the first quarter of 2021.

A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that Okonjo-Iweala disclosed this at a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja.

The big breakthrough came when Pfizer/BioNTech published its first results in November.

They showed the vaccine is up to 95 per cent effective and the UK is due to get 40 million doses.

The vaccine is given in two doses, three weeks apart. About 43,000 people have had the vaccine, with no safety issue.

The vaccine must be stored at a temperature of around -70C and transported in a special box, packed in dry ice and installed with GPS trackers.

On 2 December, the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.

On 8 December, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan became the first patient to receive the vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, with 800,000 more doses expected to be given in the coming weeks.