Nigeria expects at least 57 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines between now and April, Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, has said.

Speaking at the PTF briefing, he said: “The Federal Government is involved in discussions including the African Union Commission to access COVID-19 vaccines.

“The African Union Commission through the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) portfolio has approved approximately 41 million doses of a combination of Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines in March/April 2021.

“Furthermore, the Covax facility has informed us that they will be supplying Nigeria with approximately 16m doses of Astrazeneca vaccine this month.

“This will replace the earlier communicated 100,000 doses of Pfizer mRNA vaccine, which was grossly inadequate.”

Also, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from Covax will arrive in Nigeria from February.

He said: “We have been advised to expect the first COVID-19 vaccines from Covax to arrive in Nigeria as from February.”

He said the date of first arrival of vaccines has continued to change due to manufacturing issues.

Ehanire said 95 per cent of vaccines manufactured globally had gone to only 10 rich and powerful countries.

He added that with the 41 million doses allocated to the country by the AVATT, and 15 million doses from COVAX, Nigeria should be able to cover over 50 per cent of its target for 2021.

Ehanire said: “A spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 95 per cent of vaccines manufactured globally so far has gone to only 10 rich and powerful countries.

“We join the WHO in calling for global equity in the allocation of vaccines, since covid-19 is a threat to mankind and not only to any country alone. Besides, the Director-General of the World Health Organization has repeatedly stated that no country is safe till all countries are safe.

“The date of the first arrival of vaccines in Nigeria has kept changing because the decision lies with the manufacturer, which already has heavy commitments.

“According to the latest information I have, we have been advised to expect the first COVID-19 vaccines from Covax to arrive in Nigeria as from February.

“We shall continue to review plans to ensure smooth rollout in our country, a huge task in the hands of NPHCDA, which is better placed than any organisation, with the requisite institutional memory from polio eradication and routine immunisation, to deliver the vaccine to all areas of Nigeria.

“As with past immunisation activities, the full cooperation of state governments will be critical with regard to supporting the remuneration of vaccinators.

“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is the approving agency for all vaccines that will be used in Nigeria and this approval is required and must be sought before importation.

“Till date, only two companies have submitted the dossiers of their vaccines to NAFDAC, where the evaluation is ongoing.

“Vaccines without NAFDAC certification are illegal and may be dangerous, in the light of fake vaccines, said to be already in circulation in parts of Europe.”

South Africa on Monday got the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines.

One million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine landed at OR Tambo International Airport in the commercial capital Johannesburg, the government said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize and Deputy President David Mabuza, who chairs the inter-ministerial committee on vaccines, were at the airport to receive the consignment, which will be used to immunise front-line health workers.

With almost 1.5 million cases and more than 44,000 deaths, South Africa has been the nation worst affected by COVID-19 throughout the continent