COVID-19: Nigeria has enough facilities to store vaccine –Faisal

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, said Nigeria has more than enough facility to store the 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine expected late January or early February.

Faisal made this known on Monday at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

He said it was not true that the 100,000 doses being expected would be wasted because of lack of storage facility.

“I want to reiterate that the first set of vaccine expected in the country is the Pfizer Biotech vaccine and the equipment required to store them – the ultra-cold chain equipment – are available at the National Strategic Cold Store of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency,” Faisal said.

The NPHCDA Boss added that it was the decision of government, through the PTF and the Ministry of Health not to invest too heavily in ultra-cold chain equipment, hence the decision to go for vaccines that can be stored with the equipment being used to store vaccines for routine polio immunisation.

While encouraging all Nigerians to get vaccinated when vaccines become accessible, Faisal said, “The chances of spreading the disease are significantly reduced when community members are vaccinated.”