Nigeria has started the vaccination of its citizens against the COVID-19 virus after
assessments by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDC), confirmed the efficacy of the vaccine.
Dr Cyprian Ngon, the Family Physician, National Hospital, Abuja, was the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine immunisation, while the second person was Dr Tahir Yunusa, a Pathologist with the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.
Ngon had been the Head of the COVID-19 Isolation Centre at National Hospital Abuja since February 2020 when the virus was first detected in Nigeria. The third person was Dr Nuru Samudeen, National Hospital Abuja Family Physician at the Accident and Emergency unit.
The country was now set to go ahead and use the 3.924 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine which arrived in the country on March 2 through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government had launched a website where Nigerians could log on and register for the vaccination. The government advised citizens to log on to the website on NPHCDC website.
The healthcare development agency said that “to register for the COVID-19 vaccination, visit our website — nphcda.gov.ng — and click on ‘COVID-19 vaccination e-registration.”
It will be recalled that the first batch of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine arrived at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Nigeria recently. About four million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were shipped via the COVAX Facility in a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO. The vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India and came from Mumbai to Abuja.
UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said: “The UN Country Team in Nigeria reiterates its commitment to support the vaccination campaign in Nigeria and help contain the spread of the virus. According to him, the arrival of the vaccine marked a historic step towards the goal of ensuring equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally.
“The arrival of these vaccines in Abuja today marks a milestone for the COVAX Facility in its unprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of 2021.”
“This is a landmark moment for the country and the COVAX Facility’s mission to help end the acute phase of the pandemic by enabling equitable access to these vaccines across the world. We are glad to see Nigeria is amongst the first receiving the doses from COVAX, thanks to the excellent level of preparedness put in place by the Government of Nigeria,” said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director for Country Programmes at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“Gavi looks forward to seeing these vaccines being made available to the people most at risk, as soon as possible, and to ensuring that routine immunization services for other life-threatening infections are also delivered to avoid other outbreaks of preventable diseases.”
Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Representative in Nigeria, added: “It is heart-warming to witness this epoch-making event and WHO wishes to congratulate the government of Nigeria for its participation in the global vaccine collaboration (COVAX) efforts and its commitment to protecting Nigerians against this pandemic.
“Vaccines are a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19; therefore, this is a step in the right direction. These vaccines have undergone rigorous regulatory processes at global and country-level and have been deemed safe and effective.”
In another development, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Management said,
‘’No fewer than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s over 200 million population is targeted for vaccination between now and the end of next year. There will, however, be no vaccination for people under the age of 18 years.’’
Speaking at a news conference yesterday on the preparation for the distribution of vaccine and vaccination, the PTF said President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be publicly vaccinated to give Nigerians confidence in the safety of the vaccine.
Governors, ministers, religious leaders and traditional rulers will also take jabs at the vaccine which the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has certified fit for use.
Executive Director/CEO of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said: “Vaccine distribution to the states for phase one of the vaccination process will begin. This phase is the vaccination of all frontline health workers, their supporting staff and strategic leaders.
“Deployment of vaccines to the states will be based on the assessment of their level of preparedness. Some of the parameters that will be used for the assessment includes adequate maintenance of cold chain storage facilities, the adequate operation for logistics transportation to the ward and health facilities, adequate security in place during transportation and at the vaccination site, completion of training of health workers, efficient social mobilization activities in place, and adherence to the protocol for vaccine deployment.’’
“States without a functional airport will have their vaccines transported by road using vans fitted with cold chain cabins from the nearest airport in their states.’’
“The vaccines will be stored at the state cold store from where they will be transported by road to LGA cold stores. All of these cold stores will have security details to protect these valuable national assets. Once activities are commenced in the states, there will be strict monitoring by the Presidential Task Force, the Federal Ministry of Health, NCDC, NPHCDA, independent bodies such as the EFCC, DSS, ICPC and Civil Society Organisations, along with all the relevant line ministries.’’
“The states, health facility, and health workers that are identified as defaulting from the standard protocol and the guidelines for this phase one of this vaccination will be sanctioned.’’
“It is worthy to note that at each phase of the vaccination, the level of preparedness of the states will be assessed before vaccines are deployed. There will also be accountability measures put in place to ensure strict compliance with the vaccination process. If we are not careful, we will not be able to ensure that the vaccines reach those who critically need them the most.”
He however noted that there is no fixed number of doses to be given to states at the moment.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, urged private organizations not to import vaccines into the country for now because the Federal Government is expecting enough vaccines to cater for Nigerians, with the option to increase supply if need be.
“All vaccines coming into Nigeria will arrive only by the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja. Arrival at any other airport will not be allowed and sure to be confiscated by Customs. It is important to have an orderly, disciplined rollout to avoid chaos in the immunization scene,” he said.