The Nigerian government has disclosed that the country is expecting 58 million doses of COVAX and AVATT COVID-19 vaccines.

Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this during the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 committee on Monday, in Abuja.

Ehanire said Nigeria will receive 16 million vaccine doses from COVAX in the first half of the year, while AVATT will supply over 42 million doses.

The Minister also disclosed that negotiation was ongoing with some pharmaceutical companies for more vaccines.

Ehanire said: “With regard to vaccines, Nigeria has kept abreast of global development and supports the call of WHO for fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, since covid19 is a threat to mankind.

“We subscribed to two multilateral vaccine access platforms; the first being the COVAX facility that will supply members, including Nigeria, vaccines free of charge, to cover 20% of our population. The expected first wave of 100,000 vaccines derived from this facility.

“There has since been a change that now offers Nigeria 16 million vaccine doses in the first half of the year. The other multilateral platform is the African Union AVATT platform, the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, chaired by the President of South Africa, Mr. Ramaphosa.

“AVATT has acquired 300 million doses of three types of vaccines which have been offered to African countries, based on population, such that no country is left behind.

“If all the projected vaccines are supplied, we estimate we should have covered over 45% of the population.”

DailyPost