Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, says 41million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been set aside by the AU’s African Vaccines Acquisitions Task team while 15million of about 42million doses should be expected from COVAX this February.
Ehanire disclosed this during a media briefing on Monday in Abuja, saying the first batch of the vaccines would arrive in Nigeria sometime this month.
The minister said at the media briefing that the African Union-led African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team had allotted more than 41million doses of COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2) in order to outflank the pandemic.
He said, “Altogether, it will give us coverage for over 50 percent of our target for 2021, if we can access all pledged doses.
“We shall continue to review plans to ensure smooth roll out in our country.”
The minister also said that the Ministry of Health’s Oxygen System had been assisted by provision of additional 38 suggested Oxygen plants, which would help COVID-19 treatment centres’ needs and the long over-looked oxygen needs of the health sector in the country.
Only two organisations had submitted their dossiers for evaluation to the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control for approval of all vaccines in the country.
Vaccines evaluation process by NAFDAC is to check the distribution of fake vaccines so as to stop vaccines without NAFDAC certification, especially with the circulation in Europe of fake and illegal vaccines.