The Federal Government has expressed concerns that Nigeria may need to alter the remaining phases of vaccination because of global scarcity and delay in vaccine supply to the country.
In the government’s vaccination campaign strategy, there are four phases, of which the country is still in the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination, which involves frontline health workers, other frontline workers and strategic leaders.
It stated, however, that Nigeria is set to take delivery of 29.8 million doses of Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines from the African Union, even as it expects additional vaccines from COVAX in June.
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, made these known in Abuja, during the briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19.
He said: “I am pleased to inform you that as at April 26, 2021, 1,173,869 Nigerians, representing 58.3 percent of the eligible persons targeted in this current phase, have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Notwithstanding the above successes, we are aware of the global scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines due to high demand, especially in countries where the vaccines are being produced. We, therefore, anticipate a delay in vaccine supply to Nigeria, which may also affect and impact the remaining phases of the vaccination campaign.
“However, in response to the anticipated delay, the Federal Government has rationalised the vaccination exercise by preserving 50 per cent of available doses of the vaccine for administration of the second doses. Each state of the Federation, including FCT, is currently administering only 50 per cent of their allocated doses of vaccines. The remaining 50 per cent will be administered to clients who had earlier received the first dose and this would be scheduled between 8 – 12 weeks from the date of their first dose. Data from this exercise are being uploaded and updated by states on the Electronic Management Platform.”
