Nigeria awaits final confirmation for WHO-led COVAX vaccines: official

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-22 21:22:15|Editor: huaxia

LAGOS, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria is expecting the final confirmation for the coronavirus vaccine from COVAX, an international initiative for COVID-19 vaccines led by the World Health Organization (WHO), said an official on Friday.

The country was expected to take delivery of its first COVID-19 vaccine doses in February, with health workers, top government officials and vulnerable people to be given priority, Faisal Shuaib, director-general of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA) told the official News Agency of Nigeria.

"We are expecting final confirmation soon from COVAX on when our first doses will arrive through the program and in parallel, we are speaking to both the African Union and manufacturers to get the doses we need," he said.

Shuaib said the country targeted to vaccinate 70 percent of its population in the country, noting that the first batch would be enough for a maximum of 50,000 people.

He said it would be allocated to healthcare professionals working in the COVID-19 isolation centers and those supporting them, as well as government officials.

According to reports by local media, Nigeria hopes to get 42 million COVID-19 vaccines to cover one-fifth of its population through the global COVAX scheme. Enditem

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