We come bearing good news: Nigeria is finally getting a COVID-19 vaccine and can kickstart its national immunization programme! According to reports, a total of 3.92 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to get into the country today. Yesterday, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) launched a website yesterday where Nigerians are able to register to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Nigeria joins Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in receiving the vaccine under the COVAX scheme.
Nigeria Vaccine Rollout Phasing:
1/ Frontline health workers & strategic leadership
2/ 50 & above (60 & above, then 50-59 – with priority of course for people with co-morbidities)
3/ 18-49 with co-morbidities
4/ Rest of eligible population (i.e. 18-49 without co-morbidities)
— tolu ogunlesi (@toluogunlesi) March 1, 2021
The Federal Government has launched a strategy to ensure the proper distribution of the vaccines that have been placed under their care. Codenamed ‘T.E.A.C.H’, THE NPHCDA along with the Federal Government have big plans to manage electronically the immunization data, keeping note of who has and hasn’t yet received the vaccine.
•T: Traditional Vaccination Campaign Roll-out
•E: Electronic Self-Registration by Eligible Nigerians
•A: Assisted Electronic Registration of Eligible Nigerians
•C: Concomitant Vaccination alongside Electronic Registration
•H: House-to-House Electronic Registration pic.twitter.com/cWBTJEsQp3— NPHCDA (@NphcdaNG) March 1, 2021
Many Nigerians are however sceptical, and rightfully so, of the country’s effectiveness in distributing the vaccines and ensuring that people get access that they desperately need. In a country where our leaders wrongfully spite us, countless times over for their personal gains and benefits, it’s unsurprising that various Nigerians have now grown to distrust whatever information is being passed down from higher-ups.
It will be severely disappointing (but dare I say unsurprising?) if Nigeria once again squanders the opportunity given to do the ethical thing and not reserve the vaccines solely for people in positions of privilege. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a severe blow to lives, businesses and the economy, with people from lower incomes being the most vulnerable during these times. To get the country back on track and ensure the safety of us all, it’s essential that our leaders, for once, do the right thing. We must hold our government and the NPHCDA accountable.
