The Nigerian government is expecting about 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, according to Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
He disclosed this at the weekly media briefing of the COVID-19 Presidential Steering Committee in Abuja.
The NPHCDA boss stated further that the government signed off to receive the vaccines through the African Union (AU), while vaccine deliveries through the COVAX facility were expected by the end of May or early June.
By this time, he said, the country would have completed the process of administering the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to those who got the first dose.
He revealed that
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) he said, has sustained discussions with manufacturers to examine their vaccines, in anticipation of emergency use listing from the World Health Organisation.
He explained that this was to mitigate the negative concerns about the delayed deliveries of AstraZeneca vaccines, thereby ensuring the sustained supply of vaccines for the smooth continuation of the exercise.
A total of 1,173, 869 Nigerians, representing 58.3 per cent of the eligible persons targeted in the first phase , he said have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine as at Monday this week.
