The Federal Government of Nigeria on Tuesday, the 17th of August, received 699760 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine doses that were donated by the UK Government.
Dr Faisal Shauib, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said during the official handover of the vaccines that it is the first tranche of the 1,299,760 doses expected from the UK Government through the COVAX facility.
According to Dr Shuaib,
“I am glad to inform you that last night, we received 699760 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine donated by the UK Government. We are most grateful to the government and people of the UK for this gesture.
“This vaccine will be deployed immediately to the states (after NAFDAC’s approval), and would be administered as second dose to those who had earlier received only the first dose of the vaccine during the first phase of the vaccination rollout.
“I therefore, enjoin all those who have received AstraZeneca as first dose to visit the nearest vaccination site to receive the second dose to be assured of full protection.
“We have also received communications from the COVAX facility of an additional 801600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines.
“These doses are a donation from the Canadian Government and would be available for delivery by the end of August.
“It’s storage requirement is the same as most of our routine vaccines at temperatures of +2 degrees centigrade to +8 degrees centigrade.
The Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Atkinson also disclosed that the UK was one of the first countries to back COVAX with £548 million. According to him;
“The UK was one of the first countries to back COVAX with £548 million. We have consistently pushed for a global effort that helps every county receive the vaccine against Covid-19
“I am so pleased to see Nigeria receive 699760 doses, donated by the UK, in their second batch of vaccine through COVAX.
This is the first tranche of the 1,299,760 doses expected to be donated by the UK through COVAX. Only by vaccinating more people around the world can we bring an end to the global coronavirus pandemic.”
Also at the occasion was the WHO representative, Dr Walter Mulombo who said that;
“After receiving the Moderna, J&J Covid-19 vaccines, the Covid-19 portfolio in Nigeria is growing towards achieving herd immunity sooner than later, especially as we are fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The contribution by the UK Government is a big relief, knowing that many Nigerians who got their first shot were waiting for their second shot.
AstraZeneca plc is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England
Read also:
Fake Covid19 Vaccine Shipped to Africa, Nigeria on Alert
Federal Government Receives Nearly 699760 AstraZeneca Vaccine doses