Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has revealed that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has received dossiers of four different COVID-19 vaccines for evaluation ahead of its usage in Nigeria.
He made this known during the weekly press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
The minister said some results of the evaluations carried out were almost ready.
He said, “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has received dossiers for Sputnik V vaccine of Russia, Covishield or Astra Zeneca manufactured under licence by Serum Institute of India, Covaxin by Bharat vaccines of India and the Sinopharm Vaccine of China, for evaluation and validation for use in Nigeria. Some of them are nearly ready for results.
“It is important to stress that all COVID-19 vaccines carry a certain amount of risk and any vaccines not approved by the Federal Ministry of Health through its agencies cannot be used in Nigeria. The government will not be responsible for the safety or efficacy of vaccines given outside the framework of the government.
“All the needs of Nigeria have been carefully calculated by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and it is possible to accommodate all interests in the framework.”
The minister further added that 900, 000 doses of vaccines for Nigeria is expected by the end of March 2021 while negotiations are ongoing for other sources for vaccines.
He said, “I received a message from the High Commissioner of India, giving 100,000 AstraZeneca or Covishield vaccine doses, also by the Serum Institute of India, as a gift of the Government of India to Nigeria. These gestures of goodwill and partnership are appreciated by the people of Nigeria.
“With regard to the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, Nigeria this morning (Monday) completed her account opening, signed by two officials each, of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning, at Afrexim Bank as a requirement for access to vaccines on that platform, which will give Nigeria access to a much larger portfolio and variety of vaccines.
“Among the vaccines are the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine and as much of the Pfizer mRNA vaccines as we can manage. The COVID-19 Vaccine Coordinating Committee and NPHCDA’s strategy for vaccine delivery will advise the mix of vaccines that Nigeria will acquire.”
Ehanire said that the PTF was beginning to observe “what may cautiously be said to be a decline in the rate of spread of COVID-19 infection in this second wave.”