The federal government has announced the total number of eligible Nigerians that have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at 3,600,858.
Giving an update on the progress made in the second phase of Covid-19 vaccination with Moderna and AstraZeneca, he said the exercise has now extensively commenced in all the 36 states and FCT.
According to the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, as of September 6, 2021, a total of 3,600,858 eligible Nigerians received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, which is made up of 2,551,738 persons vaccinated with AstraZeneca vaccine and 1,049,120 persons vaccinated with Moderna vaccine.
He continued, stating that the decision to re-open AstraZeneca for first dose administration is due to the fact that additional 1,394,480 doses of vaccines have been received through the COVAX facility.
Shuaib also mentioned that Nigeria received 1,123,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday through the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) platform, coordinated by the African Union Commission, as part of the 39,800,000 doses procured by the federal government of Nigeria.
The government also explained that Nigerians traveling to the United Kingdom, who have been fully vaccinated, will still be required to isolate upon arrival because the country is yet to meet the criteria that would exempt citizens from isolating.
These criteria include a good percentage of the vaccinated population and reduction in incidence rates of Covid-19 infection.
The Executive Director, speaking during a weekly press briefing in Abuja, said that Nigeria also requires fully vaccinated UK citizens to isolate for seven days, as a mark of diplomatic reciprocity.
In addition, he said Nigeria has been listed as an amber country, alongside France and the Netherlands, by the UK government based on criteria such as the number of the population vaccinated and incidence rates of COVID-19 infection.
He further stated that regardless of vaccination status, a Nigerian with a Nigerian passport who travels to a green-listed country and spends 14 days there before traveling to the UK, would have no need to be quarantined in the UK.
“Likewise, if a German or Australian that is currently from their green listed country travels to a country like France, Ghana or Italy which is on their amber list like Nigeria, and such an individual spends 14 days or more in these countries before departing to the UK, such an individual would be made to do a Covid-19 test and quarantined, regardless of their vaccination status,” he said.
He explained that every country has its Covid-19 rules, protocols, and guidelines, for foreigners, just like Nigeria, hence, this should be a motivation for all eligible Nigerians to get vaccinated.
