Nigeria on Tuesday received four million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the delivery of which through the COVAX Facility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF, and WHO.
The vaccines arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja about midday, onboard an Emirates airline.
Those who received the consignment at the airport included the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and Secretary-General to the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.
Others were the Minister for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, the Director-General, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control, NCDC, Dr Chik
A statement from the United Nations in Nigeria said the arrival marked a historic step towards the goal to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally.
UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said, “The UN Country Team in Nigeria reiterates its commitment to support the vaccination campaign in Nigeria and help contain the spread of the virus.
“The arrival of these vaccines in Abuja today marks a milestone for the COVAX Facility in its unprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of 2021.”
On Monday, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency announced it would commence the vaccination of Nigerians in priority groups, starting with frontline healthcare workers, the military, police, and those at the country’s borders.
“This is a landmark moment for the country and the COVAX Facility’s mission to help end the acute phase of the pandemic by enabling equitable access to these vaccines across the world. We are glad to see Nigeria is amongst the first to receive the doses from COVAX, thanks to the excellent level of preparedness put in place by the Government of Nigeria,” Managing Director for Country Programmes at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Thabani Maphosa, added.
“Gavi looks forward to these vaccines being made available to the people most at risk, as soon as possible, and to ensuring that routine immunization services for other life-threatening infections are also delivered to avoid other disease outbreaks.”
WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said about the delivery of the vaccines: “It is heart-warming to witness this epoch-making event, and WHO wishes to congratulate the government of Nigeria for its participation in the global vaccine collaboration (COVAX) efforts and its commitment to protecting Nigerians against this pandemic.
“Vaccines are a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19; therefore, this is a step in the right direction. These vaccines have undergone rigorous regulatory processes at global and country-level and have been deemed safe and effective.”
