The Nigerian government is expecting 41.1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by February and March this year, based on the latest news update on COVID-19 Vaccine.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, says Nigeria has secured additional 41 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT).
AVATT is a vaccine strategy organised by the African Union, which is chaired by the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ehanire spoke at a Channels Television programme on Thursday.
“A mechanism for the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), of which the minister of health of Nigeria is a member, and the chair is the president of South Africa, was inaugurated in November 2020,” he said.
“At the meeting we had on the 6th of January, it was announced that they had a mix of 270 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines going to be ready, because they are on order.”
In addition to the 41 million, the government is expecting 100,000 doses through COVAX in February, which will be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius in freezers available in the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, had earlier said Nigerian government is also procuring more doses of the vaccine from other sources, including Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
The other types, according to him, can be stored in the country’s available freezers meant for routine immunisation vaccines.
How safe is Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine?
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine to be endorsed by the World Health Organisation, meaning that it has been approved as a safe and efficacious vaccine.
Regulatory experts convened by WHO from around the world, including reviewed the data on the Pfizer/BioNTech and examined the risks associated with its administration. The review found that the vaccine met all the criteria for safety and efficacy set out by WHO, and that the benefits of using the vaccine to address COVID-19 are more than the potential risks.
Through this endorsement, UNICEF, which has been engaged in vaccine distribution globally, together with its partners procured the vaccine for distribution to countries in need.
Can you buy the vaccines in a pharmacy near you?
No, you can’t procure vaccines in any pharmacy. the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has ordered private companies or corporations not to order the vaccine.
NAFDAC will first examine the vaccines and certified then for use before they can be administered.
The agency said local manufacturers also need to inform NAFDAC of their intention to produce the vaccines if they are truly genuine companies.
COVID-19 vaccines are new, and the side effects or adverse events must be well monitored, therefore, if NAFDAC does not approve, the public should not use.
What could delay the COVID-19 vaccination?
According to COVAX, the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, the timing of delivery will depend on various factors such as local regulatory approval by NAFDAC, readiness of the government authorities for storage of the vaccines, logistics and distribution.
