The vaccines donated by India to Nigeria will help boost the number of Nigerians to be vaccinated by about 50,000, Mustafa, who is the Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on Covid-19…reports Asian Lite News.
Demonstrating its role as the pharmacy of the world, India on Tuesday donated 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Nigeria.
A consignment of 100,000 doses of ‘Made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by Serum Institute of India was formally handed over to Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation by Deputy High Commissioner of India, VSDL Surendra, said a tweet by the High Commission of India, Abuja, Nigeria.
Earlier, a release by the High Commission of India dated April 2 had said that the vaccines arrived at Abuja Airport from Mumbai via Addis Ababa on 26 March at 1200 hrs. The consignment was delivered to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency by the Indian High Commission.
Stating that the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India was the first Covid-19 vaccine approved by NAFDAC, Nigeria, the High Commission’s release said that its first lot of 3.92 million doses of the vaccines under the World Health Organisation (WHO) backed COVAX facility had reached Nigeria on March 2.
The bilateral donation of 100,000 doses of the ‘Made in India’ vaccine is in fulfillment of the announcement made by the High Commissioner of India Abhay Thakur at that time, the released added.
The vaccines donated by India to Nigeria will help boost the number of Nigerians to be vaccinated by about 50,000, Mustafa, who is the Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, was quoted as saying by a report in the local Channels Television.
Nigeria had launched its Covid-19 vaccination drive after receiving vaccine doses under COVAX.
The Channels Television report said Nigeria had vaccinated 964,387 eligible persons against the Covid-19 virus, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has said it is seeking to vaccinate no fewer than 70 percent of its over 200 million-strong population, it said.
More vaccine doses are still expected from COVAX as well as from an African Union scheme financed by the African Export-Import Bank, it noted.
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