Nigeria’s first batch of 3.92 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines arrived Abuja at 11.45am on Tuesday.
COVAX is a global scheme to procure and distribute vaccine for free, as the world races to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The Emirates flight Boeing 777-300ER carrying the vaccines touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport at about 11:36 am.
Nigeria is the third West African country to receive the vaccines after Ghana and Cote d’voire from the COVAX facility.
The government aims to start by vaccinating frontline healthcare workers, the highest-priority recipients, in Abuja on March 5, followed by strategic leaders on March 8.
COVAX was launched in April 2020 to help ensure a fairer distribution of coronavirus vaccines between rich and poor nations, with the target of delivering two billion doses to its members by the end of 2021.
The 3.92 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine was licensed by the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India, were part of an initial tranche of deliveries headed to several low and middle-income countries, which Nigeria is part of.
The 3.92 million is part of the 16 million doses initially expected in the country.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Mr Boss Mustapha led other governmental officials, wearing yellow high-visibility jackets and facemasks, to receive the vaccine on the airport tarmac of the airport in Abuja.
He said the arrival of the Astra-Zeneca vaccines marks a significant milestone in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
“For over one year, humanity has remained under the siege of a virus that has impacted on lives, livelihood, destroyed economies, governance systems, medical services, socio-economic systems.
“Nations around the world have deployed enormous resources to tackle the virus which has seen a first wave and more virulent second wave. As at date, it has claimed over 2.5 million lives world wide and we are still counting.
“The successful development of vaccines and the accelerated process for emergency authorisation has brought hope to humanity all over the world. Its arrival in Nigeria today has been made possible through purposeful leadership by President Muhammadu Buhari, collaboration with domestic stakeholders, the international community and pain staking technical efforts to ensure that what we are offering Nigerians is safe and efficacious,” he said.
He said prior to the vaccines phase, government had introduced and promoted the non-pharmaceutical interventions and that these remain very valid measures to take under the Infection Prevention and Control Policy.
“I therefore urge all Nigerians to continue to comply with these measures even as we roll out the vaccines administration plan which is expected to reach 70 percent of our population between 2021 and 2022. Under the circumstances, it must continue to be NPIs + vaccines.
“Although this consignment of vaccines is just 3.924m doses of the expected 16m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX Facility, we are indeed grateful to the coalition that has made this possible for us to receive it,” he said.
Also speaking, Nigeria country representative for UNICEF, Mr Peter Hawkins, said Nigeria’s extensive experience in combatting infectious diseases, most recently the eradication of wild polio, would facilitate the rollout of COVID-19 doses.
“We will use the polio network to be able to ensure that people in the most extreme areas are reached as quickly as possible,” he said.