A medical doctor Dr Cyprian Nyong of the National Hospital, Abuja on Friday received a jab of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in Nigeria.
The commencement of the vaccination was flagged off by the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Besides Nyong, other health care workers that received the AstraZeneca vaccine during the launch were Nurse Faith E. Eragbai, Dr Nuru Joseph, and Dr Thairu Yunusa.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC approves AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine usage in Nigeria
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, 6 March 2021, on live TV.
This followed approval for the commencement of vaccination by federal authorities.
The executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib described the moment as a “watershed”.
Earlier in the day, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), cleared the AstraZeneca vaccine for usage.
Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire also said it was crucial “to the first cater for those who cater for us”.
Nigeria had on Tuesday received about four million doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine shipped into the country through the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.
Meanwhile, a Nigerian-born researcher and medical doctor, Onyema Ogbuagbu has been celebrated by the US embassy in Nigeria for his role in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Recall that Pfizer and BioNTech had announced that the first vaccine they developed against COVID-19 could prevent more than 90 percent of people from getting infected.
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