By John Ikani
The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) has announced that Nigeria will take delivery of 7.5 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine between October and early November.
About 3.5 million doses donated by the United States Government will arrive next month, while the remaining four million is expected in November.
Disclosing this to newsmen at a news conference, the chairman of the PSC, Boss Mustapha said the country will soon begin to receive one million doses of the Johnson and Johnson anti-COVID-19 vaccine monthly.
According to him, the quantities will be enough for the 70 percent eligible persons in the country.
What Boss Mustapha said:
“Notable progress is still being made in the area of vaccine. Over 3.5m doses of Pfizer’s AstraZeneca is being expected from the U.S Government this month while about 4m doses are being expected early next month.
“Nigeria will also be receiving over one million doses of J&J shipments on a monthly basis. The PSC is committed to access enough vaccines for the 70 percent eligible persons in the country in record time.”
Stating that vaccine enlightenment campaigns were ongoing across the country, he appealed to all eligible persons to take advantage of the vaccination programme.
He however noted that though the spread of the virus seems to be losing steam, all citizens should not let their guards down.
Mustapha said: “Global cases have been on a decline for some time now but there’s a need for more caution, especially among Nigerians. The PSC has observed that caution is needed rather than over-confidence and that there is a decline of suspicion index among doctors.
“To slide into complacency can be very fatal, hence the need for serious caution and adherence to the non-pharmaceutical intervention measures, vaccination and protocols on self-isolation. The coronavirus is still very much around us and it is virulent and deadly.”
