On Tuesday, Nigeria received 3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. It is the first shipment for the over 16 million doses allocated to the country through the COVAX Facility, aimed at vaccinating 20% of the population.
Nigeria is expected to receive an additional 42 million doses of approved vaccines through the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, but details on the timeline of shipments are not yet clear.
According to government officials, the received doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine are undergoing final assessment by Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. While awaiting the conclusion of the review, health workers across the country will receive training on the vaccination exercise.
The first doses will be administered at a treatment center of National Hospital Abuja on Friday, and the nationwide vaccine rollout is set to commence March 12.
In a press statement, Thabani Maphosa, managing director for country programs at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said, “Nigeria is amongst the first receiving the doses from COVAX, thanks to the excellent level of preparedness put in place by the Government of Nigeria.”
Despite this vote of confidence, public health experts and citizens in the country are worried that sparing, conflicting, and sometimes confusing information on the vaccine deployment will hinder the process.
According to Tolu Ogunlesi, special assistant to the Nigerian president on digital and new media, Nigeria’s vaccine doses will be rolled out in four phases. The first recipients will be front-line health workers and strategic leadership, followed by individuals ages 50 years and above. The third phase will cover individuals ages 18 to 49 with relevant medical conditions, while the last group will be the remaining eligible population, which is made up of individuals ages 18 to 49 without relevant medical conditions.
While the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has been in charge of Nigeria’s coronavirus response in the areas of testing, communication, and surveillance, the task of coordinating vaccination rests squarely on the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
Following the announcement late Sunday evening that the COVID-19 vaccine would arrive Tuesday, NPHCDA on Monday shared a link to a website where citizens are expected to book their vaccination appointments.
Despite the outlined phases, Devex found that there are no restrictions around the vaccination dates available to different population groups or around who is able to register. The registration process also does not provide any means for the government to verify those claiming to be front-line workers.
Samuel Eleko, a 46-year-old university lecturer who has used the platform, described the open registration process as potentially disenfranchising those who should be prioritized and ensuring the phased approach fails. He noted that young people are more likely to register online than older adults, who have been identified as a priority population.
“By registering online, you [the Nigerian government] will distribute the few [vaccines] you get to the less vulnerable group, and the problem will just begin from there. When other countries would say bye to COVID, Nigeria will be looking for help,” Eleko said.
In addition, a week before the vaccination exercise’s expected initiation, officials at some centers listed on the website said they were not aware of their locations serving that purpose.
Monatan Primary Health Center in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria, is included among the vaccination sites on the government’s website. But when Devex visited the center late Monday, officials on duty said they were not aware of any COVID-19 vaccination plans at the location.