Nigeria planning to get 2 billion Covid-19 vaccines, says health minister
Dr. Osagie Ehanire said that his country is coordinating with global health organizations to get 2 billion Covid-19 vaccines, once a vaccine is available.
Nigerian health minister Dr. Osagie Ehanire revealed on Thursday that the country has been working with global health and research organizations to receive 2 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses as soon as they are available.
Ehanire said "Nigeria is also working with the World Health Organization to finalize enrolment with the ACT – Access To COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, a global mechanism tracking and sponsoring global organizations working on COVID-19 vaccine development."
The Nigeria minister added they are diligently working to secure a fair share of doses through initiatives that are aimed at delivering vaccines to countries with limited financial resources "We also have an interest in the COVAX Facility, which is a Gavi-supported initiative to procure and assure equitable access to vaccines as soon as they are available, especially for lower-income countries".
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"This will prioritize Nigeria for allocation of a part of 2 billion vaccine doses, that will be secured in a special plan to protect the interest of poorer countries."
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Nigeria has registered nearly 51,000 Covid-19 cases, 37,569 patients have been discharged while the country has suffered 992 deaths since the start of the pandemic.