Pascal Arogorn Ibe
As the controversy over the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine continued on Monday, the Nigerian government assured of its safety as the country distributes almost four million doses of the vaccine.
At least three European countries – Germany, France and Italy – on Monday joined a few others who had suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
However, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that it had tested the vaccines and they were safe for use, echoing the view of the World Health Organisation and many other countries including the UK.
A Nigerian official also said all Nigerian states but one had received doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines except.
“The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been distributed to all states except Kogi state,” the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, said at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.
Mr Shuaib said Kogi State was not supplied with its portion of the vaccines due to a lack of adequate storage facility.
“Kogi State was not supplied with the vaccines because their cold store is still under repairs following vandalisation during the EndSARS protest,” he said.
Nigeria took delivery of 3.94 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in early March and has since begun administration to prioritised groups.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and members of the PTF received jabs of the vaccines publicly to drive vaccine acceptance.
Mr Shuaib last Monday said the government has started distributing doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to various states across the country.
He explained that the delivery of the vaccines to the states is predicated on satisfactorily meeting the conditions to keep them safe and potent.
He, however, did not disclose the amount of COVID-19 vaccines each state received.
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