Nigeria unveils plan to receive 20m COVID-19 vaccines as rich countries hoard doses

“We are on course to access safe vaccine in the first quarter of 2021. We will  be leveraging on the polio platform to ensure effective delivery of vaccines to our vulnerable population.

“We have established a supra-ministerial advisory committee to ensure a seamless administration. A technical group meets every week and  has devised a risk communication plan to deliver safe vaccines to Nigerians, Shuaib said Thursday evening.

He also disclosed that the expected 20 million doses will first be given to workers in the health sector and vulnerable citizens.

While rich countries have purchased enough Covid-19 vaccine doses to inoculate their populations three times over next year, 90% of people in poor countries won’t be able to get the vaccine in 2021, according to a John Hopkins University report.

Unequal vaccine distribution is a concern that Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director of the World Health Organization, has raised repeatedly over the course of the pandemic.

While Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Ukraine have more than 1.4 million COVID-19 cases between them, they’ll only have access to vaccines through COVAX, the global vaccine sharing program.

Canada, on the other hand, which has only reported 432,870 infections, has cut direct deals with vaccine makers and purchased enough doses to vaccinate each Canadian citizen five times, the report found.