TheCable

The federal government, on Monday, asked Nigerians to register for COVID-19 vaccination via the portal of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

Nigeria is expected to receive 3.92m doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, March 2, from COVAX.

According to the NPHCDA, the delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine is part of an overall 16 million doses planned to be delivered to Nigeria in batches “over the next months by the COVAX facility.”

“Please visit the website http://nphcda.gov.ng and click on ‘COVID-19 Vaccination e-registration’ to register for #COVID19 vaccination,” the government said in a tweet.

Please visit the website https://t.co/MdqC5yHwTE and click on ‘COVID-19 Vaccination e-registration' to register for #COVID19 vaccination.#YesToCOVID19Vaccine pic.twitter.com/dUo5Tp8WSq

— Government of Nigeria (@NigeriaGov) March 1, 2021

Ghana was the first country in Africa to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX, followed by Côte d’Ivoire.

Faisal Shuaib, chief executive officer of NPHCDA, in a statement, said the country has enough cold chain system that can store all types of vaccine.

“We are fully prepared to receive and deliver the vaccine to eligible Nigerians as we have commenced the training of health workers and ensured that cold chain facilities are ready at all levels,” Shuaib said.

“We have a robust cold chain system that can store all types of COVID-19 vaccine in accordance with the required temperature. We are therefore confident that we will have a very effective roll-out of the vaccine, starting with our critical healthcare workers, who are in the frontline in providing the care we all need.”

Speaking earlier on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, Olorunnimbe Mamora, minister of state for health, said frontline workers will be prioritised because they are facing the battle against the virus.

“Secondly, the elderly; those above 60 and 65 particularly with existing health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and things like that,” he had said.

The minister had also said the president and other strategic leaders of the country will take the vaccines in public to boost confidence of Nigerians.