COVID-19: 109m Nigerians To Be Vaccinated In 2 Years' – NPHCDA

NPHCDA has given a timeline of vaccination in the federal republic of Nigeria.

COVID-19: 109m Nigerians To Be Vaccinated In 2 Years' – NPHCDA
Coronavirus

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), has disclosed that it planned to vaccinate approximately 109 million Nigerians eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination over the course of 2 years.

The Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, made the disclosure at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing, on Monday, in Abuja.

He said: “We remain in anticipation of about 57million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility and the AU. Working with the States, the Federal Government plans to vaccinate all eligible populations from eighteen years and above, including pregnant women.

''However, the decision to vaccinate any pregnant woman will be made in consultation with her healthcare provider. There will be considerations of whether she is at high risk of contracting Covid-19 or not.

''She is likely to be at high risk, for example, if she is a frontline health worker, a support staff or a first responder in the different spheres of the security architecture of our country.

“This guidance is based on the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE). After excluding those that are under 18 years old, we plan to vaccinate approximately 109m Nigerians that’ll be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination over the course of two years.''

It was further learnt that the World Health Organisation (WHO) did not shortlist Nigeria for the first round of supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine following the country’s inability to meet certain criteria.

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said Nigeria does not meet the standard requirement of being able to store the vaccine at the required minus 70 degrees Celsius.

Moeti said in a statement that only four African countries were shortlisted in the first supply of 320,000 vaccines out of the 13 that applied.