By Henry Uche 

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has resumed administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to Nigerians who have not received a shot, while those who have received their first dose at least six weeks ago have been advised to visit the nearest vaccination site to get their second dose for full protection against COVID-19, on or before June 25, 2021, when the administration of the second dose would close. 

Executive director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, who gave this directive in Abuja, noted that the agency has already administered 1,978,808 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 680,345 second doses. 

“We have decided to reopen vaccination for the first dose. This means anyone 18 years and above who has not been vaccinated should visit the nearest vaccination site for the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. For such persons, their second dose will be due in 12 weeks and by then we would have received the next consignment of vaccines.”

He disclosed that Nigeria would get 3.92 million doses of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine by the end of July or early August, adding that updated information regarding timelines and details would be disseminated in due course. 

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“Recent research from Public Health England (PHE) shows that the Indian (Delta) variant B.1.617.2 is 92 per cent susceptible to Oxford/Astrazeneca. It is, therefore, comforting to know that the vaccine used in Nigeria can protect against this variant that caused high morbidity and mortality in India. However, it underscores the need for us to ramp up our vaccination to more Nigerians.”

Shuaib implored Nigerians to continue in taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, by wearing a facemask covering the nose and mouth in public spaces to save lives.

“More so, government’s restrictions on incoming travel from high-risk countries and quarantine requirements to keep Nigerians safe remain sacrosanct. With a virus like COVID-19, we each must do our part to keep our communities safe,” he added. 

He commended world leaders who committed to delivering at least one billion coronavirus vaccine doses to the world over the next year, at the G7 summit last weekend. Among the leaders was United States President Joe Biden, who announced on the eve of the summit that the U.S. would purchase 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BionTech vaccine and donate them to low- and middle-income countries through the next year. 

Also, the MasterCard Foundation pledged to donate $1.3 billion doses to Africa over the next three years, in partnership with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Undoubtedly, this is one of the largest corporate donations towards ending the pandemic globally. The goals are to strengthen Africa CDC’s capacity, support local vaccine manufacturing, procure vaccines for at least 50 million people, and help deliver shots to millions more.