The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has come out to say that it is working hard to make sure Nigerians have access to the coronavirus vaccines when available.
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu revealed this during the Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, even if a vaccine is the best weapon in taming the virus, equitable access to such vaccines is more important.
He added that the government must start preparing the Nigerian population for vaccine delivery when it becomes available.
His words, “To do this, we have to build capacity, gather sufficient data and include African institutions in these efforts.
“We have to start preparing Nigerian population for vaccine delivery when it becomes available.
“Access is a very key issue when it comes to vaccines; that a vaccine is developed do not necessarily translate to being available to those that need it the most.
“So, through the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with GAVI to ensure that vaccines are available to countries regardless of their ability to pay.”
“It’s a work in progress and we are all working with Africa CDC and GAVI to ensure that when a vaccine becomes available, Nigeria’s can have access to it.”
