The National Primary Health Care Development Agency NPHCDA has received 177,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccines it purchased to tackle COVID-19 in the country.
The first shipment of the 29,850,000 doses of the vaccine procured from the AFREXIM Bank through the African Union,arrived yesterday.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday at the National Strategic Cold Store in Abuja, The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib said the country is prepared for all it takes in terms of distribution and storage of the received vaccines.
Dr Shuaib stated that because the J&J vaccine is a one dose vaccine, the doses will be focused on those who are in the hard-to-reach areas (riverine areas, desert areas and security-compromised areas) and the elderly.
He said the balance of the single dose vaccine will be delivered over the coming months.
He said “Today we are receiving 177,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines, being part of the 29,850,000 doses that the Federal Government of Nigeria procured from the AFREXIM Bank through the African Union. The balance of the vaccine will be delivered over the coming months.
“We have the capacity to store and distribute this vaccine all the way to the point of administration as we have walk in freezers in all 36 States plus FCT.
“The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is stored at temperatures of +20C to +80C which is the temperature in which most of our routine immunization vaccines are stored.
“Because it is a one dose effective vaccine, these doses will be focused on those who are in the hard-to-reach areas (riverine areas, desert areas and security-compromised areas) and the elderly. This is because they are people who may find it difficult to leave their homes to the health facility for second dose vaccination
“As a result of the leadership provided by the Presidential Steering Committee and the Federal Ministry of Health, NPHCDA in collaboration with our partners have mapped out the best strategies in targeting different segments of our populations because of the differences in vulnerability, age and geographical constraints.
“Let me emphasize that the Nigerian government is committed to safe, equitable and effective COVID-19 vaccination of all eligible persons in the country” Faisal noted.
The Executive Director also said that the availability of different vaccine brands does not in any way mean that some categories of people are selected for high quality vaccines while others are targeted for low quality vaccines.
He said all COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization are safe and can deliver adequate protection against the disease.
