The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has received 501,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility, as donation from the Government of France to Nigeria.

The Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, while receiving the vaccines on Friday, in Abuja at the National Strategic Cold Store, said Nigeria was among the African countries to receive vaccines from the Government of France.

Nigeria had commenced COVID-19 vaccination on March 5, 2021, having received approximately four million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX, an initiative aimed at ensuring equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

The country recently flagged-off the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination, having received another four million doses of Moderna vaccines from the government of the United States of America.

The country also received another 177,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines from the African Union (AU).

On August 17, Nigeria also took delivery of 699,760 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines from the UK government.

According to Shuaib, it is indeed gratifying to say that France has not only been a dependable development ally to Nigeria but has been quite brotherly in all ramifications.

He said that the donation of over half a million doses of AstraZeneca to Nigeria was a demonstration of France’s confidence in Nigeria’s capability, as an active and progressive partner in the global fight to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NPHCDA boss added that the Nigeria’s vaccine storage facilities have remained efficient and well maintained, adding that no standards are compromised in logistics requirements for effective management and utilisation of all COVID-19 vaccines available in the country.

He disclosed that the Federal Government had put in place the necessary measures to ensure monitoring and accountability of the vaccines.

“We track utilisation of all COVID-19 vaccines in all states of the federation and receive daily report from our Senior Supervisors and State Immunisation Officers, who are on the field to monitor the management and administration of the vaccines,” he said.

In his remarks, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Jerome Pasquier, who had successfully completed his tour of duty in the country, commended the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, in addressing the pandemic through procurement of vaccines and getting them across the country.