The Health Minister Osagie Ehanire, says Nigeria may start taking delivery of its COVID-19 vaccine supply from March.
Ehanire said this on Wednesday after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja.
The minister had said on Sunday that the country will receive the vaccine in the next 10 days.
Ghana became the first African country on Tuesday, to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from COVAX.
The minister said Nigeria is expecting the COVID-19 vaccines from three donor sources, which should satisfy the needs of the country without having to procure more.
He said the country is expecting supplies from COVAX facilitated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) set up by the African Union.
“We want to immunise about 60 to 70% of our population. If COVAX immunises 20, then we have about 40 to 50 to immunise within the next two years. So, we have to pay for that minus any donations that we get like the MTN donation. For example, all those ones reduce the quantities that we have to purchase or any other that in future are given to us free of charge.
On why Nigeria is receiving the AstraZeneca vaccines whose rollout has been discontinued by the South African government as it was found to be less effective, the minister noted that the WHO has approved the vaccine for Nigeria.
