By Aiyeku Timothy
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has disclosed that Nigeria will receive 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in March.
The vaccines add to the 100,000 expected doses of Pfizer vaccine, he said late Thursday.
The statement did not disclose the type of vaccine would be used for the 10 million doses.
It was also unclear whether the batch would be financed by the African Union or as part of COVAX, which links the World Health Organization with private partners to work for pooled procurement and equitable distribution.
The need for the vaccine has become more urgent as Nigeria has officially reported some 104,000 Covid-19 cases, of which 1,382 have been fatal.
But these figures are believed to fall short of the real toll, since the number of tests is low while cases have risen sharply since the end of November, notably in the economic capital Lagos. The death rate has also increased.
Meanwhile, variant strain of coronavirus has been discovered in recent months but it remains unclear whether it is more contagious or deadly.
The authorities recently announced that they hope to vaccinate 40 percent of the population in the year 2021.
But the challenges of transporting and storing vaccines for many millions of people are enormous in a country where adequate hospital facilities are lacking.
