People at Ojodu-Berger in Lagos.
Photographer: Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP / Getty Images
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Nigeria has not yet purchased Covid-19 vaccines as Africa’s most populous country is still assessing the prices of various injections, their availability and the logistics required for a nationwide rollout.
Health Minister Adeleke Olurunnimbe Mamora said once the government has determined which vaccines are accessible and affordable, authorities should consider storage and distribution issues as they prepare to inject 200 million people.
“We have not made any purchases at this point,” Mamora, the second-highest official at the ministry, told Bloomberg in a telephone interview. He added that the government expects to have a final plan by the end of January.
An ambitious goal to vaccinate as much as 40% of the Nigerian population this year has been questioned by a governor and experts who said there is a lack of resources and infrastructure in a country ravaged by daily power cuts and deserted roads and bridges.
Over 37.9 Million Shots Given: Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker
Faisal Shuaib, chief executive officer of Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said on Thursday that the country expects to receive 100,000 doses of Pfizer Inc.’s shot in late January through the Covax initiative. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Shuaib said the West African country has secured services for ultra-cold storage facilities to store and distribute the vaccines.
Covax is a global initiative of the World Health Organization that aims to provide fair access to Covid-19 vaccines.
Read more: Exhausted nurses toil in South African wards full of virus cases
While the number of infections in Africa has paled in comparison to other regions, a spike in cases has raised concerns that the pathogen could spread more quickly in a continent unprepared for it.
Hospitals throughout Africa, from South Africa to Senegal and Zimbabwe, are grapple with a wave of infections that are overwhelming health facilities already lacking beds, basic equipment and staff.
Nigeria has officially reported 107,345 cases, with 1,413 deaths, but testing is not easily accessible to most people, with only about 1.1 million conducted so far.
– With the help of Alonso Soto
(Updates with Mamora comments, Covax reference from 3rd paragraph.)