‘We Have More Than Enough Facility to Store COVID-19 Vaccine’

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, on Monday said Nigeria had more than enough facility to store the 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine being expected late January or early February.

Shuaib made the clarification at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

He said it was not true that the 100,000 doses being expected would be wasted because of lack of storage facility.

The NPHCDA boss said, “I want to reiterate that the first set of vaccine expected in the country is the Pfizer Biotech vaccine and the equipment required to store them –  the ultra-cold chain equipment –  are available at the National Strategic Cold Store of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.”

Shuaib said it was the decision of government, through the PTF and the Ministry of Health not to invest too heavily in ultra-cold chain equipment, hence the decision to go for vaccines that can be stored with the equipment being used to store vaccines for routine polio immunisation.

While encouraging all Nigerians to get vaccinated when vaccines become accessible, Shuaib said, “The chances of spreading the disease are significantly reduced when community members are vaccinated,” he said.

The Punch