The vaccine, created by Tianjin-based CanSino Biologics, needs to be inhaled and it is expected to quickly become a favourite among a number of people who are not comfortable with needles and syringes.

According to a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sunday, the vaccine called CanSino’s Ad5-nCoV has received approval from the China’s National Medical Products Administration. The news produced an instant movement in the market as the share prices of the company went up by around 14.5 per cent.

Following the announcement, company shares surged 14 per cent on Monday morning before closing 7.1 per cent higher than their opening value.

The needle-free vaccine – which can be stored and administered more easily than intramuscular jabs – will be given through a nebuliser, the company said.

“The approval will have a positive impact on the company’s performance if the vaccine is subsequently purchased and used by relevant government agencies,” the statement added.

The company did not offer details on when the adenovirus-vectored vaccine will be made available for public use.

There is no publicly available verified or peer-reviewed data on the efficacy of the new vaccine.

It was gathered that the project, which is a mega research grant intervention tagged,  ‘Accelerated development of COVID-19 vaccines using innovative technological approach’, is a collaborative effort involving cluster researchers from five different institutions to consolidate problem-solving research and promote innovation in the country.

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund had earlier awarded a total of N1.25bn to four clusters of researchers.

One of the clusters, which is the Vaccine Production Cluster, got a total grant of N450m.

According to a statement by TETFUND and made available to our correspondent in Abuja, the VPC is made up of researchers from the National Veterinary Research Institute Vom; Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Jos; Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos; and National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria.

The statement titled, ‘TETFund-sponsored COVID-19 vaccine ready for trial November’ read in part, “The Vice Chancellor of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof Lawal Bilbis, who led the team of researchers to brief the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny

Echono, on the progress so far explained that they were able to make the breakthrough through the maximum support of the fund.

“He recalled how the COVIC-19 pandemic ravaged and unleashed untold hardship on humanity globally, noting that Nigeria was only saved by divine intervention, since the nation was not prepared for such eventuality.

“TETFund believed in us and supported us to get to where we are now. That is why we have come to give a firsthand report on the progress made so far.”

A presentation by Dr Bashir Bello of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, revealed that it had become a matter of urgency for Africa to join the rest of the world in the production of its own vaccine, as it was estimated that the continent currently imports 99 per cent of its vaccines and consumes 25 per cent of global vaccine supply.

He said, “We graciously got the support of TETFund not only in COVID-19, but also in Lassa Fever and other infectious diseases because whether we like it or not, diseases will continue to emerge and re-emerge. They don’t have international boundaries and that is why they are called pandemic.

“That was when we realised that we really need to sit up. Those producing these vaccines abroad are mostly Nigerians after all. So why can’t we do it here? That is why we decided to form a consortium, and TETFund was magnanimous to release N225m for the first tranche.”

Meanwhile, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, assured the German-based mRNA vaccine manufacturer, BioNTech, of Nigeria’s readiness to collaborate towards the local production of vaccines.

Buhari said he looked forward to receiving a commitment from the company to expand collaboration to achieve Nigeria’s goal of developing capacities for research, development and manufacturing.

According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President stated this when he met with the Executive Chairman of KENUP Foundation and representative of the Chief Executive Officer of BioNTech, the mRNA vaccine patent holder in Africa, Mr Holm Keller, at the State House, Abuja.

The statement is titled ‘mRNA vaccine production: Buhari welcomes exploratory interactions between Nigerian scientists, BioNTech.’

Buhari said, “We are impressed with the numerous possibilities said to be around the mRNA technology, and hence seek cooperation with well-intentioned organisations, including yours, to build a strong bilateral partnership with your company and your affiliate bodies, as science gets closer to understanding the possibilities around successful mRNA technology.”

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, made this known while addressing Christian leaders on the second phase of COVID-19 vaccinations on Tuesday.

“I am glad to inform you that from this Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, we have introduced Sunday Vaccination.

“This is to ensure members of the Christian community who may not have had access to the vaccine for whatever reason are given an opportunity to be vaccinated at their worship places.

“I must say that feedback from the field is very encouraging and I sincerely thank all Christian leaders who have given the vaccination team access to their churches and their members to receive COVID-19 vaccine during Sunday service,” he said.

The doses, which came on two planes, were received by officials from the UN children agency UNICEF on behalf of Nigeria at the airport in the capital Abuja, an AFP video reporter at the scene said.

It was the second batch of vaccines to arrive in Africa’s most populous nation after four million doses were delivered in March under the Covax scheme.

Covax was set up to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines, particularly to low-income countries, and has already delivered more than 80 million doses to 129 territories.

Nigeria used the four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in received in March to start its nationwide inoculation programme.

Experts worry that the highly contagious Delta variant could pose another setback to vaccine distribution — if wealthier countries begin requiring booster shots for fully vaccinated people, it could slow shipments of urgently needed doses to developing nations.

The virus has killed 2,149 people and infected nearly 174,000 in Nigeria, but the real figures are believed to be much higher, in part because of low testing rates.

Last month, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said it had detected the Delta variant, putting officials on alert for the third wave of infections in the country.

In June, Nigeria barred passengers who are not citizens or permanent residents from entering the country if they have been in South Africa in the past 14 days.

The decision followed similar restrictions imposed on travellers coming from Brazil, India and Turkey.

According to New York Mayor,  De Blasio’s office, the effort is to encourage more people to get vaccinated. The Mayor’s office announced that winners will be picked through a lottery to receive the cash after getting a COVID shot and the cash payments will come in the form of debit cards.

According to de Blasio’s office, the $2500 can “make a massive difference in people’s lives.”

More than 8.7 million New Yorkers had gotten vaccinated as of Tuesday morning, June 15, to the mayor’s office and New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo has already lifted up major restrictions in the state that was the hotspot for COVID-19 in the US during the pandemic.

Mayor De Blasio recently said the city likely wouldn’t meet his goal of having 5 million people fully vaccinated by the end of June but they will still fight to get close to that number. This is not the first incentive the city has given for people to get vaccinated. In New York City, offers have included everything from Yankees and Mets tickets to free eats, along with lottery tickets.

The feds are promoting cruise sweepstakes and dating app perks as well.

de Blasio boasted at a Tuesday, June 15 press conference. “We continue to add incentives. We continue to make it more and more exciting for people. Vaccination continues to be the key, but we also love that we’re seeing more and more activity out in the streets, more and more tourism, more and more jobs coming back,”

The Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib made this known during a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja while giving an update on the COVID-19 vaccination.

According to him, 10,027 of Nigerians reported mild, moderate and Adverse Events Following Immunization, AEFI, after their first dose of the vaccine.

Shuaib said those affected experienced symptoms ranging from pains and swelling at the vaccination site to headaches and abdominal pains, among others.

NPHCDA boss: “There have been cases of mild, moderate and severe Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) since we officially rolled out Covid-19 vaccination on March 15, 2021. The AEFls symptoms ranged from pain and swelling at site of vaccination to more serious symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, fever, dizziness and allergic reactions.

“A total of 10,027 cases of mild AEFI have been reported as of May 30”, while 86 cases of moderate to severe incidents have been reported. All these individuals have since fully recovered.

“Five States have the highest records of AEF! namely: Cross River (1,040), Kaduna (1,071), Lagos (796), Yobe (555), and Kebbi with 525 cases.

“We acknowledge the possibility of some people relocating from the States where they took their first doses. For this reason, we have made provision for special vaccination sites that could accommodate administering their second doses. It is also possible that due to certain circumstances, some of the sites used for the first dose vaccination may no longer be available; in this case, you are kindly advised to go for your second dose at the nearest vaccination post. The list of the vaccination sites is available on our website (www.nphcda.gov.ng), which we will keep updating and will also be published accordingly. Please bear with us while we try to make the vaccination process as seamless as possible.”

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib made this known on Monday at the weekly media briefing of the COVID-19 Presidential Steering Committee in Abuja.

He added that the government has signed off to receive the vaccines through the African Union (AU).

Meanwhile, Shuaib noted that the Astrazeneca vaccine currently administered in the country were expected by the end of May or early June, noting that by then, Nigeria would have completed the process of administering the second dose of the vaccine to those who got the first dose.

Thw NPHCDA boss revealed that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has continued discussions with manufacturers to examine their vaccines, in anticipation of emergency use listing from the World Health Organisation.

Shuaib 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.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, the Vice-President spoke while representing President Buhari virtually at a forum organised by the Nigerian Academy of Engineering.

He said “There are also efforts going on therapeutics of various kinds. The development of vaccines, tests and therapeutics these days is aided by automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence; so, this is a strong point of synergy between science and engineering. I think the pandemic has truly opened up the immense talents and creativity of Nigerian scientists and engineers and if the current momentum is supported, the next few years could be incredibly exciting”

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who released the list in a statement on Tuesday, stated that vaccination can only be obtained at any of the 88 accredited facilities listed.

“Vaccination outside of these locations in Lagos State is highly prohibited and will attract heavy sanctions through our regulatory agencies,” he said.

The commissioner said the vaccination will be conducted in four phases.

While phase 1 is for healthcare workers, COVID-19 response team, ports of entry staff (air, land, and seaports), laboratory network, judiciary, military, police, other security agencies, petrol station workers, teachers, press, and other frontline workers; phase two is for people aged 50 years and above as well as those living with co-morbidities who are between 18-49 years of age.

Phase three is for people in the LGAs with the highest burden of disease and those who missed phases 1 and 2 and phase 4 for other eligible populations.

How to register

He explained that a combined approach will be utilised for the registration for those that qualify for COVID-19 vaccination in phase1:

1. Electronic self-Registration of Health Care Workers and other frontline workers using a dedicated URL. Each enrollee is expected to pre-register on https://www.nphcdaict.com.ng or https://www.vaccination.gov.ng to fill the form with their qualifying verifiable details, preferred vaccination site, date, and time. A vaccination ID will be generated, and this should be taken to the chosen health facility along with a means of ID. A confirmation text message and email will be sent to each enrollee after successfully registering for the vaccination.
2. Assisted electronic registration of Health Care and essential workers who are unable to complete self-registration due to lack of android devices, poor network, or not being tech-savvy.

“Although the registration portal is open to the public, ONLY eligible participants within phase 1 should register for the vaccination now. More information on the vaccination of other participants in phases 2 to 4 will be communicated subsequently,” he added.

How to report side effects

He explained that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has been declared safe by the World Health Organization, but most vaccines have some common side effects, which are not unique to the COVID-19 vaccine and which typically only last for 24 to 48 hours.

According to him, some of these common adverse events that could be experienced include: Pain or tenderness at the injection site, tiredness, chills, joint pains, headache, fever, muscle pain and nausea.

He said, “Should any of these side effects become problematic, kindly call the number of the LGA Disease Surveillance Notification Officer—provided at the back of the COVID-19 vaccination card—for guidance, and/or return to the same health facility for further investigations and treatment.

“All vaccinated persons are also advised to download the MED SAFETY app monitored by NAFDAC. The app can be downloaded on the iOS Store or Google Play store, and can be used to report any untoward event experienced after vaccination and/or any other Adverse Drug Reactions experienced with the use of concomitant drugs.”

List Of 88 Vaccination Sites In 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs)

Lawan disclosed this at plenary on Tuesday, stating that the vaccine would be administered to him in his office.

He said that the rest of the Senators are to fill forms to indicate their date of choice to be vaccinated within two weeks.

“These forms will be made available at the entrance. Our aides can come and take them but we have two weeks within which to take the vaccination,” Lawan said.