Nigeria receives 4m doses of COVID-19 vaccine from US

The Federal Government on Monday received 4 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines from the United States.

The Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, received the consignment on behalf of the federal government in Abuja.

He said the vaccine would be subjected to test by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) before its roll out to the public.

The NPHCDA chief added that the results of the evaluation exercise would be made public within 48 hours.

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He said: “The vaccines would be useful in stepping up efforts to check the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

“The donation was part of the US President, Joe Biden’s promise to give 500 million vaccines to the world by the end of 2022.

“Nigeria has adequate facilities for storage of COVID-19 vaccines, including the Moderna vaccine.

“The government had earlier purchased 60 ultra-cold freezers that would accommodate both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

“The Moderna vaccine is expected to remain stable at standard refrigerator temperatures of 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F) for 30 days. Shipping and long-term storage conditions are at standard freezer temperatures of -20°C (-4°F) for six months while mRNA-1273 will be distributed using widely available vaccine delivery and storage infrastructure.

“Once the vaccine is removed from the refrigerator for administration, it can be kept at room temperature conditions for up to 12 hours.”

Earlier, the US representative in Nigeria, Dr. Melissa Freeman, said the vaccine would boost the country’s vaccination campaign.

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