The Executive Director, National Primary Health care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib says Pfizer and BioNTech have promised to supply one billion dozes of Covid 19 vaccine by the end of 2021 to low income and medium income countries of the world and another 2 billion dozes at the end of 2022
He stated this during a press conference organized by National Primary Health Care Development Agency in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the Director, in a bid to vaccinate at least 40% of the world population at the end of 2021, the International Monetary Fund has advocated for a 50 billion dollar Covid 19 fund to enable faster and wider Covid 19 vaccination.
The NPHCDA boss stated that the United States of America also promised 20 million dozes of Covid 19 vaccine to help countries of the in the fight against the virus.
On the rescheduled dates and venues for the Presidential Steering Committee Meetings in the geo-political zones, he announced that the new dates were 8th June in Adamawa for the Northeast, 15th June for South-South in Edo, 22nd June for the South-West in Lagos, 29th June for the North-West and 6th July for the South-East in Imo.
Shuaib maintained that the Federal Government is taking significant precautions to protect Nigerians against the Indian variant of Covid 19 virus which he said resulted in banning travellers and immigrants from India, Turkey and Brazil.
He added that the Agency in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, is currently accelerating a national project for production of oxygen and its supply across the states in the country
Mr. Peter Hawkins , the UNICEF Country Representative to Nigeria at the conference appreciated the efforts of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in the vaccination campaign.
He called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and state governors to encourage their subjects to accept and partake in the vaccination exercise.
The World Health Organization, WHO, Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo said that Nigeria was among the leading countries of the world that have successfully vaccinated over one million people in their countries.
He said that only three countries are producing and supplying covid 19 vaccine, adding that the World Health Organization was working tirelessly to ensure the accessibility and production of the Covid 19 vaccine by all the countries of the world through their various programs across the globe
The conference which was facilitated by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency was to update Nigerians and other stakeholders on the agency’s efforts in the vaccination campaign.
Chibueze Obi in Abuja
