One Million AstraZeneca Vaccines Set To Be Destroyed – NPHCDA

Nigeria is set to destroy one million AstraZeneca vaccines in line with environmental protocols.

This is according to the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib.

Dr. Faisal at a briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee insisted that no expired vaccine has been utilized in the country.

The NPHCDA boss also stated at the briefing that 7.89m eligible persons have received the first dose while 3.9m have received the full dose.

He further revealed that only 496 Nigerians have received the booster dose.

Faisal maintained that the virus is still thriving particularly during these latter months, but he assured that the PSC is working to disseminate the vaccines to as many communities as possible.

He reiterated that Nigeria will no longer accept vaccines with a short shelf life as was tenable in the past, noting that so far, the PSC has administered over 10,000 doses of short-shelf life vaccines.

The NPHCDA boss’ comments come a few days after the Federal Government confirmed that within the last month, some COVID-19 vaccines expired in the country.

However, according to the government, the vaccines are said to have been withdrawn and will be destroyed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

In a statement, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, noted that the donation of surplus Covid-19 vaccines with short/expiring shelf lives has been of great concern internationally.

Ehanire, however, assured that the government has been handling the situation effectively, upholding the greatest standards for the safety of all Nigerians.