About four million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, shipped via the COVAX Facility, a partnership between CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO has arrived from Mumbai to Abuja around 11.30 am.
The COVAX shipped 3.94 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, delivery is part of the first wave of arrivals in Nigeria.
Announcing the arrival, the presidential aide Bashir Ahmad, on Tuesday tweeted: “Nigeria has just received the first batch of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID—19 vaccine.”
The United Nations in Nigeria, while commenting on the arrival stated that it marked a historic step towards the goal to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally.
UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, 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 itsunprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of 2021.”