Nigeria is now set to receive the first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, as government battles to curtail the continued spread of the dreaded virus.
This good news was revealed in a statement by one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad on Wednesday 6th January 2021.
According to Bashir Ahmad who quoted the Head of National Primary Healthcare Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said the first batch of the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines will be made available in Nigeria at the end of this month.
Bashir Ahmad taking to his official Twitter handle, tweeted this saying:
“Nigeria is expected to get its first batch of COVID-19 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccines by the end of this month as part of its plan to inoculate 40% of the population this year and a further 30% next year, Dr Faisal Shuaib, head of the national primary healthcare agency has disclosed,” he said.
No official statement has been released by the Presidency on this nor has the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed the statement, but Nigerians have welcomed the news.
While we welcome and await the arrival of the vaccines, the daily COVID-19 situation report by NCDC shows that as at 5th January 2021, Nigeria has recorded a total of 92,705 confirmed cases, with 76,396 discharged and 1,319 deaths.
NCDC has also continued their warnings to Nigerians that this is not the time to sit down. The warned that if anyone has symptoms such as a sudden loss of taste or smell, difficulty breathing, or fever, they should please visit a sample collection site in their various states or call a state hotline to conduct a test.