Nigeria Commences COVID-19 Vaccination

The formal rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has commenced in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The event, which is ongoing at the National Hospital, has in attendance the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, and other critical stakeholders in the nation’s health sector.

They include the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, and the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, among others.

Amid the rising figure of confirmed cases of COVID-19, the fight against the outbreak received a major boost on Tuesday as Nigeria took delivery of its first batch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX, a World Health Organisation (WHO)-backed initiative set up to procure and ensure equitable distribution of vaccines for free among countries across the world.

The first shipment of 3,924,000 doses of the vaccines arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Tuesday afternoon via an Emirates airplane from India.

In preparation for the distribution, the Federal Government had said the vaccines would be administered in the order of priority, with the frontline health workers on the top of the list.

It noted that it would also consider the elderly and the strategic leaders in the country – such as the President and other key public office holders in the country.