The Federal Republic of Nigeria on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 received 3.92 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the “shipment to Africa’s most populous nation marks a huge step towards vaccine equity.”
Presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, took to his official twitter handle to announce the arrival of the first batch of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
Nigeria becomes the third African country to receive the vaccines after Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.
This comes a day after the country, through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) launched an online registration portal for COVID-19 vaccination.
Ivory Coast and Ghana begin mass Covid vaccination rollouts
Meanwhile, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire have already begun mass COVID-19 vaccination rollouts for priority groups, including health workers, members of the media, security personnel, the executive, legislature and judiciary, among others.
On Monday, March 1, 2021, Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo and his wife, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, together with the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife, Samira Bawumia received their jabs of the vaccine.
The move was to serve an example to all Ghanaians about the safety of the vaccine, thereby encouraging them to partake in the exercise when it gets to their turn.
Former President John Dramani Mahama also received his vaccination against the coronavirus on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
He urged Ghanaians to disregard conspiracy theories about the vaccine
“I believe that all Ghanaians should avail themselves for the vaccines and indeed in Africa, we should be less hesitant about taking vaccines because all of us took vaccines when we were growing up, and it is due to these vaccines that today our children do not get all kinds of diseases like polio and smallpox among others. So vaccines are useful in preserving our health and so Ghanaians should disregard all these rumours,” he said.
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