Federal Government have on Monday received 4.8million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by Biden-Harris administration of the United States.
The vaccines, which were delivered through the COVAX facility, a vaccine alliance aimed at ensuring equitable distribution of vaccines globally, had earlier arrived in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday.
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The vaccines were received and stored at Nigeria’s National Strategic Cold Store near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Representatives from UNICEF and USAID officially presented the vaccine which arrived Nigeria on Sunday, August 1 via two planes, at a ceremony in Abuja on Monday, August 2.
While addressing the media on Monday morning in Abuja, Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, had, ahead of the arrival of the vaccines, bought 60 ultra-cold chain equipment and have since allocated one to each of the 36 states across the federation.
Shuaib revealed that the initial four million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine received from COVAX facility has been exhausted and the country is expecting three additional brands of the vaccine.
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NPHCDA Director said they have received communication for the delivery of 3.9 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, four million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, 3.5 million doses of Pfizer-Bio-N Tech COVID-19 vaccine, and 29.8 million doses of Johnson & Johnson (Jassen) COVID-19 vaccine in coming weeks.
Recall that the President of the United States, Joe Biden in May, pledged to share 80 million vaccines produced in the US with countries around the world to protect the most vulnerable and stem transmission of the COVID-19.
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Of these 80 million vaccines, Africa is expected to receive 25 million, with the first shipments to Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Ethiopia, which have already been delivered.
