From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has said it is expecting to get 42 million COVID-19 vaccines to cover one fifth of its population through the global COVAX scheme.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, made this closure at Tuesday’s briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
Shuaib said the initial vaccines would come as part of Nigeria’s plan to inoculate 40 percent of the population this year and another 30 percent in 2022, with 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arriving by the end of January.
The COVAX scheme was set up to provide vaccines to poorer countries such as Nigeria, with close to 200 million people and poor infrastructure pose a daunting challenge to medical officials rolling out the vaccinations as the West African country battles a second wave of the pandemic in the country.
According to Shuaib, Nigeria will first inoculate frontline health workers, first responders, national leaders, people vulnerable to coronavirus and the elderly.
He also underscored popular resistance to vaccines, and said Nigeria must educate people on their importance.
“We fear what we don’t understand,” said Shuaib.