COVID-19 : vaccines may arrive in Nigeria January
Neal Browning receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Monday, March 16, 2020, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. Browning is the second patient to receive the shot in the study. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
There are indications that COVID-19 vaccines may arrive in Nigeria on January 19, 2021, Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has hinted.
He said a technical working group had begun work on modalities for the project.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over yesterday by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja, the minister stated: “We have signed up with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Gavi for access to vaccines immediately they are available. But you know that these vaccines are new and are in packets, and the producers are not giving any indemnity.
“The countries where these vaccines are manufactured, have of course, given themselves the priority to serve themselves, serve their own citizens first and we hope that the pressure from WHO and Gavi will be able to get reserves for other countries that are not manufacturing so that they can sign up.
“We signed up for advanced market participation in Cobax. So, if we will be able to get our own, I think it will be in January.”