The Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC), says the country would begin inoculation of the second batch of COVID-19 Moderna vaccines from Aug. 10.
The Director Press, PSC on COVID-19, Mr Willie Bassey, who made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said this is to step up efforts to battle the third wave of infections.
“The PSC has received over four million doses of Moderna vaccine donated by the U.S. Government to Nigeria.
The donation was part of President Joe Biden’s promise, to give 500 million vaccines to the world by the end of 2022.
The delivery was the second batch of vaccines to arrive in Nigeria, after four million doses were delivered in March under the COVAX vaccine sharing facility.
COVAX was set up to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, particularly to low-income countries, and had already delivered more than 80 million doses to 129 territories.
Nigeria had since exhausted the four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Recalled that the Federal Government announced its plan to vaccinate 109 million people against the COVID-19 virus, over a period of two years. It said that only eligible population from 18 years and above would be vaccinated.
To achieve this, “the vaccine roll-out will be in four phases, starting with health workers, frontline workers, COVID-19 rapid response team, laboratory network, policemen, petrol station workers and strategic leaders.
“Phase 2 includes older adults, aged 50 years and above. Those with co-morbidities, aged 18 – 49 years of age.
“Phase 3 – Those in states/LGAs with high disease burden and who missed phases 1 and 2.
“Phase 4 – Other eligible population as vaccines become available,” it stated.