The Minister of health, Osagie Ehanire has said that the Federal Government expects 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in February.
Enahire disclosed this while speaking at the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 media briefing on Monday.
He said this 15 million doses is out of the 41 million doses of the vaccines allocated to Nigeria by the African Union’s facilitated through COVAX initiative to arrive in February.
“The date of first arrival of vaccines in Nigeria has kept changing because the decision lies with the manufacturer who already has heavy commitments. According to latest information I have, we have been advised to expect the first COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX to arrive Nigeria as from February,” he said.
“We shall continue to review plans to ensure smooth rollout in our country — a huge task in the hands of NPHCDA, which is better placed than any organisation, with the requisite institutional memory from polio eradication and routine immunisation, to deliver the vaccine to all areas of Nigeria.
“Nigeria has been allocated over 41 million doses by the AU’s African Vaccines Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), and we can expect 15 of about 42 million doses from COVAX. Altogether, it will give us coverage for over 50 percent of our target for 2021, if we can access all doses promised.”
Recall that the Minister had on Thursday announced that the country secured an additional 41 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the WHO-backed Covax 100,000 doses it had earlier secured.
He however said he was not sure of the date the vaccine will get delivered to the country as vaccine manufacturers struggle to meet global demands.
“The timelines are not in the hands of the recipient,” he stressed, noting that blocs like the European Union who had preordered vaccines since last year were yet to get enough supply.
The 41 million vaccine doses are expected to come from three major sources: Pfizer, AstraZeneca (through the Serum Institute of India), and Johnson & Johnson.
Because most African countries fall under the class of middle and low-income countries, the purchase of the vaccines will be financed by the African Export–Import Bank, also known as Afreximbank.
