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NPHCDA says Nigeria will Receive First Batch of COVID-19 Vaccine on Tuesday

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On Wednesday, Ghana received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccine, making them the first African country to receive AstraZeneca vaccines via the WHO’s COVAX program, followed by Cote d’Ivoire.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that 3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been scheduled to be delivered to Nigeria on Tuesday, 2 March 2021, making it the next West African country to receive its first arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine through the WHO’s COVAX Facility.

The announcement was made via a joint press statement by NPHCDA, WHO and UNICE. The statement was shared in a thread of tweets by the NPHCDA who declared that the arrival of the vaccines will commence the vaccination of citizens in priority groups, beginning with the frontline health care workers.

According to the statement, the AstraZeneca vaccine will be delivered as part of an overall 16 million doses which will arrive in the country, in batches, over the next months by the COVAX Facility, as part of an “unprecedented global effort to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.”

Read the statement below:

Nigeria is scheduled to take delivery of 3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, 2 March, 2021.

The delivery will mark the first arrival of COVID-19 vaccine in the country and make Nigeria the next West African country to benefit from the COVAX Facility after Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire.

The arrival  of the vaccine will enable the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to commence the vaccination of Nigerians in priority groups, starting with the frontline health care workers.

“The arrival of this vaccine is the result of the commitment of the FGN, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, the support of the PTF on COVID-19 and the guidance of the Hon. Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire”, said Dr. Faisal Shuaib.

“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”, Dr Shuaib added.

The delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine is part of an overall 16 million doses planned to be delivered to Nigeria in batches over the next months by the COVAX Facility, as part of an unprecedented global effort to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVAX Facility is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with UNICEF as a key implementing partner.

“The COVAX Facility, has worked exceptionally hard to ensure that Nigeria gets the vaccine as soon as possible so it can start its vaccination programme to the largest population in Africa,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative.

 

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