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Tag: COVID-19 Vaccine

  • Nigeria Ready for 4m doses of AstraZeneca  COVID-19 Vaccine

    Nigeria Ready for 4m doses of AstraZeneca  COVID-19 Vaccine

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
    Finally Nigeria is ready to receive about 4 million doses of  the popular AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday.
    In a joint press statement made available to Daybreak today the  NPHCDA, WHO and UNICEF announced arrival of  the  first consignment of  3.92 million doses  of AstraZeneca vaccines into the country on Tuesday.
     The delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine is part of an overall 16 million doses planned to be delivered to Nigeria in batches over the next months by the COVAX Facility, as part of an unprecedented global effort to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
    According to the statement,  Nigeria is scheduled to take delivery of the first consignment of  3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, 2 March, 2021 making Nigeria the next West African country to benefit from the COVAX Facility after Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire.
    On arrival of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA,  said it would  commence the vaccination of Nigerians in priority groups, starting with the frontline healthcare workers.
    Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib said , “We are fully prepared to receive and deliver the vaccine to eligible Nigerians as we have commenced the training of health workers and ensured that cold chain facilities are ready at all levels.”
    “We  have a robust cold chain system that can store all types of COVID-19 vaccine in accordance with the required temperature.” “We  are therefore confident that we will have a very effective roll-out of the vaccine, starting with our critical healthcare workers, who are in the frontline in providing the care we all need.”
    UNICEF Nigeria  Peter Country Representative, Peter Hawkins said, “The COVAX Facility, has worked exceptionally hard to ensure that Nigeria gets the vaccine as soon as possible so it can start its vaccination programme to the largest population in Africa.”
    Vaccines are a critical tool in the battle against COVID-19. In the meantime, Nigerians must continue to take steps to contain the virus, as the vaccination programme will take at least a year before it is fully effective,” said Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Representative in Nigeria.
    The Federal Government said  it plans to vaccinate at least 70% of eligible Nigerians aged 18 years and above in four phases within two years.
    Shuaib noted that the arrival of the vaccine is through the  jojnt  efforts  of the Federal Government,  the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the  Minister of Health.
    Daybreak reports that the COVAX Facility is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with UNICEF as a key implementing partner.
  • COVID-19: WHO excludes Nigeria from African countries to get vaccine

    COVID-19: WHO excludes Nigeria from African countries to get vaccine

    The World Health Organisation-led COVAX global initiative has failed to shortlist Nigeria for the Pfizer vaccines following the country’s inability to meet the standard requirement of being able to store the vaccines at the required -70 degrees Celsius.

    The Nigerian government had stated that it was expected to receive 100,000 doses through the COVAX initiative, which was set up to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, regardless of income level.

    Speaking at a virtual press conference, the Director, WHO, African Region, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said only four African countries were shortlisted for the Pfizer vaccine out of the 13 that applied.

    Moeti said WHO could not risk the Pfizer vaccines being wasted.

    She said, “Around 320,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been allocated to four African countries – Cape Verde, Rwanda, South Africa and Tunisia. This vaccine has received WHO Emergency Use Listing but requires countries to be able to store and distribute doses at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

    “To access an initial limited volume of Pfizer vaccine, countries were invited to submit proposals. Thirteen African countries submitted proposals and were evaluated by a multi-agency committee based on current mortality rates, new cases and trends, and the capacity to handle the ultra-cold chain needs of the vaccine.

    “This announcement allows countries to fine-tune their planning for COVID-19 immunisation campaigns. We urge African nations to ramp up readiness and finalise their national vaccine deployment plans. Regulatory processes, cold chain systems and distribution plans need to be in place to ensure vaccines are safely expedited from ports of entry to delivery. We can’t afford to waste a single dose.”

  • Nigeria, Others Seek Fair Price for COVID-19 Vaccines

    Nigeria, Others Seek Fair Price for COVID-19 Vaccines

    The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). Dr. Shuaib Faisal, has disclosed that the delay in the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines was because countries were negotiating price reduction, safety and effectiveness and required logistics to stop ongoing community transmission of the virus.

    Faisal stated this in a statement issued yesterday by the agency’s Head (Public Relations), Mohammad Ohitoto tiled: “Investment in COVID – 19 vaccines will strengthen PHC system in Nigeria”.

    This is coming as MTN has announced a donation of $25 million to support the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

    Faisal said, “While the country appreciates the global effort through the COVAX facility to ensure low and medium income countries like Nigeria have fair and equitable access to the COVID – 19 vaccine, the delay in accessing vaccines means that eligible countries would have to explore all channels that can ensure fair prices, safe and effective vaccines for its populace. “

    “The expected engagement of additional healthcare workers to administer the vaccine and ensure non-disruption of routine services, the intensive capacity building and the acquisition of new and additional cold chain equipment will contribute immensely to strengthening the PHC system.”

    President and Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group, Ralph Mupita, in the statement stated, “The devastating impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and profound. Public and private partnerships are needed if we are to succeed in the fight against the pandemic and restore social and economic norms for our continent and our communities.”

    The statement added that: “In a unique public-private partnership, we announced a donation of $25 million to support the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, working with the Africa CDC (Centre for Disease Control) and the African Union Vaccination Acquisition Task Team (AVATT).

  • Atiku gets second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

    Atiku gets second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has received the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

    His media aide Paul Ibe confirmed this.

    The former number two citizen, currently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, received the first shot on January 6.


    “H.E @atiku earlier today took his second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. He had earlier had the first jab on the 6th of January,” Ibe tweeted.

    The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

    Nigeria will get its first shipment of the vaccine in February, according to chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Kayode Fayemi.

  • Fire Erupts At World’s Biggest Vaccine Maker In India

    Fire Erupts At World’s Biggest Vaccine Maker In India

    A fire broke out Thursday at India’s Serum Institute, the world’s largest maker of vaccines, but a source said production of the coronavirus vaccine was not affected.

    Television channels showed thick clouds of grey smoke billowing from the site in Pune in western India.

    The Serum Institute is producing millions of doses of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

    “It is not going to affect production of the Covid-19 vaccine,” a source at the Serum Institute told AFP, adding that the blaze was at a new plant under construction.

    An official at the local fire station told AFP that six or seven firetrucks had reached the site.

    “We have no other information… on the extent of the fire or whether anyone is trapped,” the official said.

    In January, Indian regulators approved two vaccines — Covishield, produced by the Serum Institute, and Covaxin, made by local firm Bharat Biotech.

    India began one of the world’s biggest vaccine rollouts on Saturday, aiming to vaccinate 300 million people by July with both Covishield and Covaxin.

    Many other countries are relying on the Serum Institute to supply them with the vaccine.

    India exported its first batch on Wednesday — to Bhutan and the Maldives — followed by two million doses to Bangladesh and a million to Nepal.

    The country plans to offer 20 million doses to its South Asian neighbours, with Latin America, Africa and Central Asia next in line.

    Serum Institute, the world’s biggest vaccine maker by volume, also plans to supply 200 million doses to Covax, a World Health Organization-backed effort to procure and distribute inoculations to poor countries.

    AFP

  • We have enough storage facilities for Covid-19 vaccine – PTF

    We have enough storage facilities for Covid-19 vaccine – PTF

    The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, on Monday said Nigeria has more than enough facility to store the 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine being expected late January or early February.

    Shuaib made the clarification at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja decsribing as untrue insinuations that the expected 100,000 dosage will be wasted due to lack of storage facility.

    The NPHCDA boss said, “I want to reiterate that the first set of vaccine expected in the country is the Pfizer Biotech vaccine and the equipment required to store them – the ultra-cold chain equipment – are available at the National Strategic Cold Store of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.”

    Shuaib said it was the decision of government, through the PTF and the Ministry of Health not to invest too heavily in ultra-cold chain equipment, hence the decision to go for vaccines that can be stored with the equipment being used to store vaccines for routine polio immunisation.

    While encouraging all Nigerians to get vaccinated when vaccines become accessible, Shuaib said, “The chances of spreading the disease are significantly reduced when community members are vaccinated,” he said.

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    The Chairman of PTF, Boss Mustapha, however urged Nigerians to do everything possible to avoid a second lockdown in the country.

    Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said this can be done by complying with the protocols released by government.

    He also announced that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had been authorised to immediately implement the 450 tests per local government plan.

    The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, sfor his part aid the PTF and by extension, the Federal Government, was never favourably disposed to the January 18 date for reopening of schools.

    The minister said, “We sat down, looked at the figures and we took the decision that schools should not open.

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    “Unfortunately, we have to state this because it is supposed to be a collective decision, but you must understand that the schools we are talking about, the Federal Government has only about 100 out of thousands of schools.

    “The schools are under the jurisdiction of states and just as the PTF was unanimous in saying that schools should not open, states were unanimous that schools should open.

    “So, we have to compromise and as PTF we shall monitor what is happening on a daily basis. There could be some review again.”

    Meanwhile, the PTF has created a special team to implement and monitor safety protocols in the states in the Niger Delta, riverine communities and along the waterways in the country.

    The National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, at the media briefing said the Special Task Team on COVID-19 would be led by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang.

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    Aliyu, who was represented by the National Incident Manager, PTF, Dr Muktar Mohammed, also said the team would be mobilised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.

    Also, the NCDC called on private laboratories to support the country’s testing on coronavirus.

    The NCDC Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, lamented that Nigeria unlike other countries, placed more burden on the public laboratories.

    He stated, “In Nigeria, 30 percent of the over 1million tests that have been done was by the private sector. The public sector still bears the burden of testing.”

    He said a framework had been developed for the private sector participation, and promised to send a team of supporters for activation of any private laboratory in any part of the country.

  • 33 elderly people die within days of receiving first Covid-19 vaccine

    33 elderly people die within days of receiving first Covid-19 vaccine

    33 elderly people died in Norway within days of receiving their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine with the country’s health officials saying there is no evidence of a ‘direct link’ between the jab and their deaths.


    “All of these patients have had serious underlying illnesses. We can’t say that people die from the vaccine. We can say that it may be coincidental. It is difficult to prove that it’s the vaccine which is the direct cause,” Steinar Madsen, medical director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency (NMA), was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

    Madsen also said that the mild side effects of the vaccine could ‘theoretically tip the patients into a more serious course’ of an illness they already had.

    Sigurd Hortemo, the chief physician at the NMA, also said that “reports suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients.”

    Hortemo also said that Norway is vaccinating elderly and people in nursing homes with critical underlying conditions, therefore it is expected that deaths close to the time of inoculation may occur. 

    Officials also pointed out that an average of 400 people die every week in nursing and care facilities in Norway, with Madsen adding that the reported deaths made up around 1 in 1,000 of the people vaccinated at care homes. 

    All deaths within the first few days of receiving a vaccine are assessed, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said in a statement. 

    Reported side effects of the Pfizer vaccine in Norway include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and muscle pain.

    Over the weekend, the Norwegian Medicines Agency reported that of the fatalities, 13 had been autopsied and showed signs of suffering such side effects. 

  • Gov. Yahaya Bello rejects COVID-19 vaccine, says it’s meant to kill

    Gov. Yahaya Bello rejects COVID-19 vaccine, says it’s meant to kill

    Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has falsely claimed that the Covid-19 vaccines are meant to kill people and he discouraged its use.

    The increase in coronavirus cases in Nigeria has led to demand for vaccines to curb the spread of the virus.

    The federal government had announced that Nigerians will receive the coronavirus vaccine by January 2021.

    However, in a viral video, Yahaya Bello questioned the authenticity of the vaccine and condemned its use.

    Bello questioned why there is no cure for HIV and many other diseases troubling mankind yet a vaccine for coronavirus has been created after only 1 year.

    He said: “Vaccines are being produced in less than one year of COVID-19. There is no vaccine yet for HIV, malaria, cancer, headache and for several other diseases that are killing us. They want to use the (COVID-19) vaccines to introduce the disease that will kill you and us. God forbid.

    “We should draw our minds back to what happened in Kano during the Pfizer polio vaccines that crippled and killed our children. We have learned our lessons.

    “If they say they are taking the vaccines in the public allow them take their vaccines. Don’t say I said you should not take it but if you want to take it, open your eyes before you take the vaccines.”

  • COVID-19: FG Releases N10bn To Support Domestic Vaccine Production

    COVID-19: FG Releases N10bn To Support Domestic Vaccine Production

    The Ministry of Finance, on Monday, released N10 billion to support domestic vaccines production to tackle COVID-19 pandemic in the Nigeria.

    The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, made the known at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) COVID-19 briefing on Monday in Abuja.

    Ehanire said: “The Ministry of Finance has released N10 billion to support domestic vaccine production.

    “While we are working to develop our own vaccines, Nigeria is exploring options for licensed production, in collaboration with recognised institutions.

    “The country is also exploring the option of local production of the vaccines in the country.”

    The health minister appealed to Nigerians to ignore claims by some people that they had COVID-19 vaccines for sale in the country.

    According to him, those claims are criminal as procedures for vaccine acquisition and use include appropriate regulations and certification by National Agency for Food and Drug and Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

  • AU purchases 270m Covid-19 vaccine doses for the continent

    AU purchases 270m Covid-19 vaccine doses for the continent

    About 270 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been secured by the African Union (AU) for distribution across the continent, according to AU head South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

    All of the doses will be used this year, according to the regional Bloc leader.


    The 270million doses is on top of 600 million doses already promised.


    Although infection numbers and death rates are comparatively lower across most of Africa, a new variant of Covid-19 in South Africa is causing particular alarm and spreading quickly along the region.


    “As a result of our own efforts we have so far secured a commitment of a provisional amount of 270 million vaccines from three major suppliers: Pfizer, AstraZeneca (through Serum Institute of India) and Johnson & Johnson,” President Ramaphosa said .


    At least 50 million of the doses will be available “for the crucial period of April to June 2021,” he said.


    The WHO Regional Director for Africa praised the move during an online media briefing on Thursday.


    “Covax can only cover 20% of the African population, so it is really wonderful to see the African Union’s efforts to secure a provisional 270 million doses by the end of 2021…” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.

    The African Export–Import Bank will support the strategy by providing advancements of up to $2 billion to the manufacturers on behalf of member states, Raphomasa added.


    The African Union and the World Bank are also working together to to allow member states access to $5 billion to purchase more vaccines, according to Ramaphosa.