Nigeria receives fresh donation of 2m COVID-19 vaccine doses

Nigeria, on Monday received a donation of two million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine from Finland, Greece and Slovenia.

The delivery was reportedly part of a donation pledge by the European Union to African countries via the COVAX initiative launched by the World Health Organization in 2020 to distribute vaccines to some of the world’s poorest people.

Last month, Nigeria received a donation of 3.2 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines from the United Stated of America.

While receiving the new donation from the EU in Abuja, the executive director of Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib told mewsmen that the newly received batch of vaccines will expire in August 2023. “So we have that ample time to administer before that time,” he added.

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Meanwhile, the Nigerian representative of the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), Peter Hawkins, expressed delight over the new donation.

He urged Nigerians to shake off the hesitancy for vaccines and go out to get vaccinated.

“Two million doses of Johnson and Johnson arrived today. It is a donation from Finland, Greece, and Slovenia. It is part of the 19 million doses donated by a team of European countries.

“It is a critical moment. For everybody at home, go out and get vaccinated. We are not safe until everybody is safe. So, go and get vaccinated,” he said.

By Oluwatobi Odeyinka

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