The Federal Government has received another 100,000 doses of the Covishield COVID-19 vaccine promised by the Government of India.
The Covishield vaccine, which is the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India, and certified safe and effective by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has a 63 percent effectiveness rating against the virus.
Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced this during a briefing in Abuja.
Indian High Commissioner in Nigeria, Shri Abhay Thakur, said: “These 100,000 doses of vaccines, manufactured at the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing facility, arrived at the Abuja airport from Mumbai via Addis Ababa on 26 March 2021 at 1200 hrs.
“The consignment was delivered to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) by the High Commission of India.
“The Covishield vaccine manufactured at the Serum Institute of India is the first COVID-19 vaccine approved by NAFDAC, Nigeria.
“The bilateral donation of 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines is in fulfillment of the announcement made by the High Commissioner of India at that time.
“Despite the supply shortages, and at a time when the 1.3 billion population of India itself has been administered about 55 million vaccines so far, and when about 3 million daily vaccinations taking place in India, its own needs are huge but India is still supplying vaccines across the world, far and wide.”