By Haruna Gimba
The Federal Government said Nigeria will acquire additional COVID-19 vaccines through the African Union initiative called ‘African Vaccine Availability Task Team (AVATT).’
The country’s Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire revealed this on Monday at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
He said Nigeria is participating in the AVATT initiative, which reports directly to the AU Chairman, President Ramaphosa of South Africa, and has secured 270 million doses of various types of COVID-19 vaccines.
He said: “Bearing in mind options suitable for our environment and the available infrastructure, as well as investment in delivery, Nigeria has written to express interest in 10 million doses of the viral vector vaccine, which could be supplied as from March 2021.
Dr Ehanire added that preparation for COVID-19 vaccine requires that countries determine criteria for prioritization; develop a robust vaccine distribution strategy and identify vaccine administration sites and teams.
“It also requires that countries develop procurement, supply chain and distribution plan for commodities and devices, as well as a sustainability plan. These we are already working on so that we are ready when the vaccines arrive,” he said.
The minister stated that the federal government is exploring all options available to the country for the acquisition of approved vaccines for Nigerians.
“We are hopeful that the first consignment of vaccines will arrive the country in a few weeks. Apart from the COVAX facility, which is billed to cover just 20 percent of our population, we plan to increase our chances of getting enough vaccines to meet the country’s need to cover an additional 50 percent of the population.”
Ehanire announced that the Federal Ministry of Health will hold a National Vaccine Conference, as part of preparations, to mobilize experts, role players, Development Partners and stakeholders to create a unified and strategic front for the provision and vaccination of Nigerians against COVID 19.
According to him, the Conference will also provide a platform for deliberation on Nigeria’s COVID-19 response strategy especially at this time of spike in cases.
The minister said: “We shall engage other FMOH Agencies, especially NAFDAC and NCDC, state governments, religious, traditional and community leaders, in plans for vaccines distribution, since their role is critical to the orderly and successful deployment of vaccines. We must be able to reach all those eligible to receive the vaccines.”
