Supplementary budget for additional COVID-19 vaccines not ready, says Health Minister

“The figures are still in rough stages and would soon be fine tuned. Government wants to get a clearer picture of the different prices of the available vaccines, before submitting a budget.

Ahead of procurement of additional COVID-19 vaccines for Nigerians, the Federal Government says it is putting finishing touches to the supplementary budget for the vaccines.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the prices of the vaccines vary, the government would decide on the ones to import.

“There are different prices of the vaccines and we don’t really know exactly the one we are getting. And we also know that the ones we’re getting from COVAX is at no cost to us.

” So what we’re doing is that the additional ones that we’re going to get will take care of 50 million Nigerians, COVAX will take care of 20 million, they are even offering to take care of more than that, maybe up to 30 million.

“The prices vary, some vaccines are in the neighborhood of $20 or $30, others are $5 or $6. So to really make a budget, we are working on rough sketch, some money have been earmarked,” he said at Thursday’s Presidential ministerial press briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

It was organized by the Presidential Communications Team.

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“The figures are still in rough stages and would soon be fine tuned. Government wants to get a clearer picture of the different prices of the available vaccines, before submitting a budget.

“So, we only have rough figures and as soon as those figures are there we can continue. We are also looking for perhaps, as I said, if we have to make the the payments, we can find some money to do that. But when that budget time comes, we need some precise information.”

On March 30, Senate President Ahmad Lawan had after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari told State House correspondents that the President was expected to supplementary budget in order to provide funding for the COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria as well as security.

Ehanire stressed: “We are looking at Johnson and Johnson now, but if for example, we are to get more AstraZeneca vaccine, there is a steep difference between the two.

And then again, if they are going to give you the Pfizer vaccine, Pfizer was on the original list of COVAX and that is different.

So we are not really going to go public but very soon we will once we have all the figures.”