Nigeria has received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines shipped via the COVAX Facility.
The vaccines arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport, Abuja, around 11:30am on Tuesday, onboard an Emirates airline from Mumbai, India.
It was learnt that COVAX shipped about 3.94 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
According to a statement from the United Nations in Nigeria, the arrival marked a historic step towards the goal to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally.
Edward Kallon, UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria said, “The UN Country Team in Nigeria reiterates its commitment to support the vaccination campaign in Nigeria and help contain the spread of the virus.
“The arrival of these vaccines in Abuja today marks a milestone for the COVAX Facility in its
unprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of 2021.”
At the airport to receive the vaccines were the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and Secretary General to the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Minister for Health, Osagie Ehanire, the Director General of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, and the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Diseases Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu, among others.