BEVERLY HILLS, March 02, (THEWILL) – Nigeria on Tuesday morning received the first batch of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine was brought into the country via Emirates flight B 777-300 which touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 11:35am.
Receiving the vaccine on behalf of Nigeria, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, who is also the Secretary to the Government, Boss Mustapha said, they would be handed over to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ihanire.
On Monday, the Executive Director/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be among the first set of Nigerians to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Speaking at the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Shuaib said they will receive the vaccine on live television.
Shuaib had assured Nigerians that all necessary safety and quality control measures have been put in place for the arrival, storage and successful administration of the first batch of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which is about 3,924,000 doses.
He said at the end of the ceremony to mark the arrival of the vaccines, a few vials of the vaccines would be handed over to the NAFDAC team which will analyse them over a period of two days (Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4).
Faisal said: “Further to the clearance by NAFDAC, the PTF, FMOH, NPHCDA and strategic leaders will be at the treatment centre of the National Hospital on Friday, March 5th 2021, where the first vaccination site will be set up to commence the vaccination of the frontline health workers and support staff”, he had said.
“These Staff would also be electronically registered in the COVID-19 vaccine database and would receive their COVID-19 vaccination card which has a QR code that can be verified worldwide.
“On Saturday, March 6th, key strategic leaders will receive the first dose of the vaccine.”
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