Kano receives 209,520 doses of AstraZeneca COVID vaccine

The Kano state government has received 209,520 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Aminu Tsanyawa, the state commissioner for health, received the vaccine on Tuesday night at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

Tsanyawa said the state will focus on frontline health workers in the first phase of vaccination, adding that Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the state, will be vaccinated as well.

He said the state action committee on COVID-19 will meet to determine the modalities and when the vaccination will begin.

On March 2, the long-awaited vaccine arrived in the country courtesy of the UN-led COVAX facility which donated 3,924,000 doses to Nigeria.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) gave the final approval for use of the doses in Nigeria, hours before the launch of vaccination.

Nigeria commenced its COVID-19 vaccination with frontline health workers in Abuja last Friday.

Last Saturday, President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and some government officials received the vaccine at the presidential villa, Abuja.

On Monday, Ogun state became the first state to get its own doses of the vaccine.