By Williams Anuku, Abuja
The Federal Government has acquired three new Ultra Cold Chain (UCC) Storage Facilities in preparation to receive the 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The first set of vaccines which is being expected from the pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer is expected to arrive by the end of January 2021.
They are going to be applied on 50,000 Nigerians, comprising frontline health workers and elites within the polity, particularly State Governors, traditional and religious leaders, among others.
Each recipient of the vaccine is also expected to take two doses.
Faisal Shuaib, Executive Secretary of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency NPHCDA, while taking reporters around the facility in Abuja on Tuesday, acknowledged that the 100,000 doses are just a drop in the ocean.
Though he was not specific on the actual date for the arrival of the vaccines, he said the government will leverage on the polio eradication programme in the country.
According to Shuaib, the scepticism by Nigerians about the safety of the vaccines was understood but there was nothing to be afraid of, as it will undergo comprehensive testing by the National Agency For Food, Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC.
He said the cold storage facilities will be replicated at the state levels, adding that the newly acquired set has the capacity to store 400,000 doses effectively.
On concerns raised about the effectiveness of the vaccines outside the storage facility, the NPHCDA noted that it can remain effective for at least five days outside the Ultra Cold Chain Storage.
