The federal government has confirmed that the expected four million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines will arrive in the country tomorrow.
Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, made this disclosure late Saturday night.
“I can assure you that the vaccines are coming and they are coming very quickly barring any change in the delivery plan that has been released to us by UNICEF.
“We believe that our vaccines should depart India on the 1st of March, 2021 at 10:30pm and arrive Abuja on 2nd of March by 11:10 am,” Mustapha said.
Nigeria is expecting to receive 16 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Assess Facility (COVAX), a World Health Organisation-backed programme set-up to divide about two billion doses of vaccines across 92 low-and middle-income countries.
The facility promised access to vaccines for up to 20 per cent of participating countries’ population with an initial supply beginning in the first quarter of the year to immunise three per cent of their populations.
The federal government and WHO Nigeria had announced earlier that the first four million doses of the vaccines will arrive in the country by the end of February.
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, on Friday, said though the federal government was expecting the arrival of the vaccines very soon, he was not sure when the vaccines will arrive the country, adding that only the donors of the vaccines will be able to tell when the vaccines will arrive in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has assured of its readiness to commence vaccination as the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID 19 vaccine arrives in Nigeria on Tuesday.
NPHCDA gave the assurance in a joint statement with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) yesterday.
Executive director of the NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib said “We are fully prepared to receive and deliver the vaccine to eligible Nigerians as we have commenced the training of health workers and ensured that cold chain facilities are ready at all levels.
“We have a robust cold chain system 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 roll-out of the vaccine, starting with our critical healthcare workers, who are in the frontline in providing the care we all need.”
As Nigeria marks one year since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the country, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has reiterated the need for continuous solidarity and adherence to public health and social measures in the country.
Director-general of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated this in a statement signed by the head of communications, NCDC, Ms Omobolaji Oduwole.
He said “Despite the best efforts of the government, it will take time to vaccinate everyone against COVID-19. We must keep adhering to the public health and social measures that keep each and all of us safe.
This means physical distancing, wearing face masks, practicing hand and respiratory hygiene and avoiding crowded indoor places.”