Covid-19 vaccines to arrive in Nigeria tomorrow – PTF chairman

THE Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha, has said a consignment of about four million vaccines from COVAX facility is expected to arrive in Nigeria on March 1, 2021 (tomorrow).

Mustapha, who doubles as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, disclosed this, yesterday, while fielding questions from journalists.

He noted that the vaccines would be in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on March 2, according to the information provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

He said, “Well, I can assure you that the vaccines are coming and they are coming very quickly. Barring any change in the delivery plan, as has been revealed to us by UNICEF, because the logistic are in the hands of UNICEF, we believe that our vaccines will be back in here on March 1, 2021 by 10:30pm and arrive in Abuja on March 2, 2021 at about 11:10am.

“We are making preparations about it. But the truth about it is that as we receive the vaccines. This one is coming from the COVAX facility, about four million doses of vaccines. We are supposed to have about 16 million in the first quarter from the COVAX facility, expecting that by the time they supply all the range, we are expecting that they will supply 84 million doses from the COVAX facility which is free of charge and will cover about 20 per cent of the Nigerian population.

“We also have another source of vaccines coming in from the AVAD facility, which is the African Vaccine Action Team. We are expecting about 41 million of that, a combination of AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson.

“Everything we are expecting from the COVAX facility is going to be the AstraZeneca which has a good ravage in terms of storage for us because it uses +2 – +8 per cent of refrigeration. It doesn’t come with any complication; we already have that core chain available in all the local governments, constituencies and wards in this country.

“I believe we are well prepared to receive our vaccines and I hope that they keep to this time frame that they have given us. We are eagerly expecting the vaccines, but I must caution Nigerians that it is going to be a combination of vaccines with non-pharmaceutical measures.

“Non-pharmaceutical measures will remain in place, wearing masks, keeping of social distancing, the need for personal hygiene and taking responsibility to ensure that we do not congregate in large gatherings; avoid travels that are not necessary.

“I wish us well. By the time we get our people vaccinated between 2021 40 per cent and 2021 30 per cent, a combination of a cumulative number of 70 per cent, we will be arriving at the point of herd immunity.”

Mustapha’s disclosure aligned with that of the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who had hinted at March 1 as the possible date for the arrival of the county’s first batch of vaccines.

The Minister said this at the maiden edition of State House briefing held at the Presidential Villa where she also explained that the government would prepare a supplementary budget  to cater for Covid-19 vaccines and vaccination.

Ahmed said, “We have a provision in the 2021 budget for immunisation. We are already releasing money to the health authorities to start operation in the first batch of vaccines that is going to arrive the country in one week.”

Meanwhile, according to the figure obtained from the website of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, on Saturday, less than 0.72 per cent of Nigeria’s population has been tested.

Also since the incursion of the virus into the country in February last year 155, 076  persons have been tested positive for the virus while 1, 902 have lost their lives.