COVID-19: 5 key things Nigerians must know about Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine that arrived

Nigeria on Tuesday, March 2, took delivery of the first batch of 3.92 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine after months of waiting.

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The chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had earlier said that the vaccines from the COVAX facility for COVID-19 treatment would be delivered following its departure from India.

Legit.ng recalls that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) approved the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.

NAFDAC's director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, made the announcement on Thursday, February 18, President Buhari's new media aide, Bashir Ahmad stated on Twitter.

This piece lists the key information about the vaccine according to a report by Premium Times:

1. The vaccine was developed by British firm AstraZeneca, working in partnership with Oxford University. It is however manufactured under license by the Serum Institute in India.

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2. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine costs about £2.50 per dose according to AFP. It has the major advantages of being inexpensive, making it ideal for large-scale vaccination programmes.

3. Data for the AstraZeneca vaccine suggests that the jab is most likely to block and affect the transmission of the virus after a single dose.

4. According to early data from researchers at the University of Oxford, the vaccine is proven effective against mild to moderate cases from the U.K. variant of coronavirus.

5. This vaccine can be kept at normal refrigerator temperatures of between two and eight degrees Celsius making it the most suitable for developing countries such as Nigeria.

Categories of citizens to first get COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria

Meanwhile, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency listed the categories of people to get vaccinated in Nigeria first as COVID-19 infection rates continue to go higher in the country.

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NPHCDA boss, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, revealed this on Saturday, February 6, while addressing a joint press conference alongside a representative of the World Health Organisation in Abuja.

According to him, frontline health workers, elderly people and persons with co-morbidities, and strategic country leadership will be prioritised for vaccination.

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Oluwatobi Bolashodun is a Legit.ng journalist with six years of working experience in the media industry. She graduated from Babcock University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication. Oluwatobi is a Current Affairs Editor, mostly writing on political, educational, and business topics. She uses her team spirit to encourage others to work hard.

Source: Legit.ng