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South Africa approves distribution of AstraZeneca shots as Nigeria plans to buy vaccine

*South Africa receives first Coronavirus vaccines from January to February, as part of a plan the government says will vaccinate two-thirds of the population by end of 2021

*Nigeria is set to buy AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for Nigerians because of the availability of facility needed for its storage in the country ─Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

South Africa’s regulator has granted permission to the National Department of Health for distribution of the vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc and University of Oxford in its first nod for COVID-19 immunisations in the country.

Zweli Mkhize, Health Minister, in a statement late Friday, January 22 disclosed the National Department of Health has been recognised by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority as a supplier of The Serum Institute of India Limited.

ConsumerConnect reports the Southern African country recently struck a deal with The Serum Institute to receive the country’s first Coronavirus vaccines January and February, as part of the earliest phase of a plan the government says will vaccinate two-thirds of the population by the end of 2021.

The Minister stated that 1.5 million initial doses would come from the institute, which is producing the version developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford.

Mkhize noted the doses will be reserved for health workers, and negotiations are ongoing with other manufacturers about further supplies.

“We will, in the next coming days, engage with the public in order to give an update on the progress of the first batch of the vaccines that we committed would be received in the first quarter.

“At this stage, we would like to assure South Africans that all is on track.

“We are working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a smooth implementation of the vaccine roll-out programme,” the Health Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Nigeria also set to buy AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as the Federal Government will purchase the vaccine for Nigerians because of the availability of facility needed for its storage in the country.

Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), who revealed this on a television programme at the weekend, said the vaccine could be stored in a facility with temperature +2 to +8 degree celsius for a long period without it losing potency.

With the decision, less emphasis will be paid to Pfizer’s BioNTech vaccine because the country lacks enough space to keep the drug at + 2 to + 8 temperature not more than five days before use, said Dr. Shuaib.

He explained that the delivery of the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccines will now be next month because of supply and manufacturing hitches according to information from the Covax facility.

Shuaib said: “The AstraZeneca type Oxford vaccines are the ones that we want to invest in because we already have the infrastructure across the country to be able to store the vaccines.

“In Nigeria, as I speak, almost every single political ward has one freezer that can keep these vaccines at the right temperature.”

The NPHCDA CEO stated: “Only about 700 political wards do not have this type of equipment, and we are hopeful that if we keep installing them at the pace that we want to, hopefully by the end of this year.

“We will be able to finish installing, so that in every single political ward, we have the right equipment to be able to store our routine immunisation vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines at + 2 to +8 degree Celsius.”

The agency noted the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) would assess and certify the vaccine to ensure that it is safe when it is available.

“At this point, we have information from the Covax facility that Nigeria will be getting up to 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccines in February, said he.

Shuaib explained that ahead of those shipments, the country has already ensured that the ultra-chain equipment that is required to keep these vaccines in temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius are available in-country.

He stated: “We are also working with the sub-national levels to make sure that when these vaccines are transported to the states and council areas, we will be able to make sure that the transportation takes place in a way that ensures that the vaccines remain and retain their potency.”

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