• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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FG reverses self, says Russia did not give Nigeria COVID-19 vaccine

Russia COVID-19 vaccine

The Federal Government has denied receiving the Russian COVID-19 vaccine from the country’s ambassador to Nigeria, Alexey Shebarshin.

The government had announced last Friday that it had received samples of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine from Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria during his visit to the Ministry of Health in Abuja and that Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, received the samples.

A statement signed by Olujimi Oyetomi, director of information, media and public relations of the Ministry of Health titled ‘Russian Federation Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Alexey L. Shebarshin on courtesy visit to Nigeria’s Health Ministers, Russian-made COVID-19 Vaccine finally here’, noted that the ministry would quickly refer the samples to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as well as the Nigeria Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, amongst other agencies, for review and possible validation.

But, the minister of state for health, Olurunnimbe Mamora, speaking during the briefing on the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, said the Russian ambassador, Alexey Shebarshin, during his visit to the ministry only informed that the country was still working on the vaccine which is still in the third phase of clinical trials.

Mamora said the current stage of the vaccine requires thousands of volunteers who need to be followed for about a year to see whether complications or side effects will manifest.

“So, at this point in time, that vaccine is not yet at that stage, talk less of being released,” Mamora said.

“Even when the vaccine is released, it will still be subjected to our own process here. This is because vaccines are things that you give mass application, you apply them to a large number of people, so you cannot afford to take chances, you need to check and establish the safety and in so doing, you need to look at the various segments of the society, the children, adults, elderly and those with co-morbidities to ensure its safety,” he said.

The minister further noted that Nigeria has continued to record a decline in positive cases of COVID-19, despite an increase in number of samples tested, but warned that it was not celebration time yet.

He informed that in the last 24 hours, the country recorded 176 positive cases out of 2,494 samples tested.

“While this is a cheering development, it will be presumptuous to conclude that the disease is reducing. This is because as of today not many states are testing. We shall therefore ensure that testing continues in all the states until we reach our daily targets,” he said.

Mamora further disclosed that 10 percent of positive cases are children and adolescents with more than half of them in the age bracket of 10-18 years.

“It is therefore pertinent at this point to renew the warning of the PTF on the reopening of schools so as not to expose our children to the risk of infection,” he warned.