The World Health Organisation\u00a0 (WHO) says Nigeria has received nearly
\nfour million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, shipped via the COVAX
\nFacility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO.<\/p>\n
COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and the Coalition for
\nEpidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) working in partnership with
\nUNICEF, the World Bank, civil society organisations, manufacturers, and
\nothers.<\/p>\n
WHO Office in Nigeria, in a statement posted on its website on Tuesday,
\nstated that the arrival marked a historical step toward equitable
\ndistribution of the vaccines.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe arrival marked a historic step toward the goal to ensure equitable
\ndistribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, in what will be the largest
\nvaccine procurement and supply operation in history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe delivery is part of a first wave of arrivals in Nigeria that will
\ncontinue in the coming days and weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cCOVAX shipped 3.94 million doses of the AstraZeneca\/Oxford vaccine,
\nmanufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) from Mumbai to
\nAbuja.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The statement quoted Edward Kallon, UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria,
\nas saying, \u201cthe UN Country Team in Nigeria reiterates its commitment to
\nsupport the vaccination campaign in Nigeria and help contain the spread
\nof the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe arrival of these vaccines in Abuja today marks a milestone for the
\nCOVAX Facility in its unprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion
\ndoses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n
The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine would enable the National Primary
\nHealth Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to commence the vaccination of
\nNigerians in priority groups, starting with frontline healthcare
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
The statement also quoted Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director for Country
\nProgrammes at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as saying, \u201cThis is a landmark
\nmoment for the country .<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a landmark moment for the country and the COVAX Facility\u2019s
\nmission to help end the acute phase of the pandemic by enabling
\nequitable access to these vaccines across the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are glad to see Nigeria is amongst the first receiving the doses
\nfrom COVAX, thanks to the excellent level of preparedness put in place
\nby the Government of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cGavi looks forward to these vaccines being made available to the people
\nmost at risk, as soon as possible and to ensuring that routine
\nimmunisation services for other life-threatening infections are also
\ndelivered to avoid other disease outbreaks.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement further quoted Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO
\nRepresentative in Nigeria, as saying: \u201cIt is heart-warming to witness
\nthis epoch-making event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWHO wishes to congratulate the government of Nigeria for its
\nparticipation in the global vaccine collaboration (COVAX) efforts and
\nits commitment to protecting Nigerians against this pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaccines are a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19;
\ntherefore, this is a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese vaccines have undergone rigorous regulatory processes at global
\nand country level and have been deemed safe and effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
The COVAX Facility is expected to deliver around 90 million doses of
\nCOVID-19 vaccines to the African Region in the first quarter of 2021 and
\nhas committed to providing up to 600 million doses to the region by
\nend-2021 to cover 20 per cent of the population.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter a year of disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, today we
\ncelebrate the efforts being made in getting the vaccine to Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith more than 150,000 Nigerians infected with the virus and over 1,800
\nlives lost, the path to recovery for the people of Nigeria can finally
\nbegin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a very significant occasion \u2013 the arrival of the COVID-19
\nvaccines into Nigeria is critical in curbing the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only way out of this crisis is to ensure that vaccinations are
\navailable to all,\u201d the statement quoted Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria
\nCountry Representative, as saying.<\/p>\n
The COVAX Facility thanks the governments, foundation and other donors
\nwho contributed to making this milestone happen \u2013 including the generous
\nsupport of the European Commission, countries of the European Union,
\nJapan, the United Kingdom and the United States. (NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The World Health Organisation\u00a0 (WHO) says Nigeria has received nearly four million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, shipped via the COVAX Facility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":78897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n