COVID-19: FG bans vaccines with short shelf life

The Federal Government on Monday said it would no longer accept vaccines with short shelf life. It also confirmed the planned destruction of about 1.064 million doses of expired Astra- Zeneca vaccines

The executive director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaibu at the emergency briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee PSC of the COVID-19, stated that Nigeria would no longer accept vaccines with short shelf life, as they not only exert undue pressure the health care workers, but also on the people.

The Federal Government had due to vaccine scarcity in the past, opened its doors to vaccines with short shelf lives from international donors in order to quickly use and provide some level of protection for the citizens

But the PSC on Monday officially confirmed that over one million of such vaccines are due for destruction any moment, following its expiration.

Shuaibu assured that government had no intention to administer the expired vaccines, adding that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is working with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board AEPB, to set a date for the public destruction of the drugs.

He disclosed that the short shell life span of the vaccines had exerted undue pressures on health workers across the country as they try to ensure speedy administration of the vaccines before they got expired.

“This saw federal, state and local government health personnel working diligently to ensure all vaccines are utilised before expiration. I would like to reiterate again that at no level were any expired vaccines used in Nigeria. We have in place strong accountability and tracking measures to track all vaccines to the last mile.

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Shuaibu noted that the vaccines were withdrawn way ahead of when they were about to expire.

“There are protocols that NAFDAC and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board will have to go through, once all of those aligned, we will inform the general public when the vaccines will be destroyed.

Shuaibu also revealed that the utilization of the vaccines had followed very carefully arranged procedures across the country.

“The joint Task Force on COVID-19 vaccine Monitoring and Accountability is present in all states and local Government Areas across the country and is working in a variety of ways to ensure that the vaccination exercise is secured against fraudulent and criminal activities.

“We are aware that fake PCR tests and vaccination cards are now a global phenomenon. We have therefore strengthened the card validation process on our EMID platform to further guard against card forgery.

He disclosed that the COVID-19 virus is unable to replicate and cannot survive for long in a vaccinated individual, adding however, that “unvaccinated eligible population are therefore providing an environment for the virus to thrive and mutate”

“The vaccines are available in all our designated public, private, secondary and tertiary health facilities. We have worked assiduously to ensure that a vaccination centre is located near your home, your workplace, your school, your religious centre and at the market/shopping mall. This is to ensure our eligible population have easy access to the vaccines. The jabs are available, Nigerians need to avail themselves to protect not just themselves but their loved ones and their communities.

He urged that eligible to take the booster vaccines to do so as the administration had commenced since Friday December 10, 2021.

Booster doses are doses of a vaccine given to fully vaccinated individuals to help maintain their level of immunity for longer.

“All eligible persons who have received two doses of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine, are eligible for a booster dose of Pfizer, 6months after taking the 2nd dose of either of these vaccines.

He disclosed that the booster dose can be taken in any vaccination site free of charge, adding that “no new registration is required to get booster dose.

“All eligible persons should kindly visit their vaccination site with their vaccination cards to receive their shot. Individuals who receive the booster dose will have greater immune response to COVID-19 infection and enjoy greater protection against COVID-19.

“While we call on all eligible Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity in the ongoing mass vaccination to get their regular and booster doses, it is important to mention here that no person in Nigeria has ever and will ever be vaccinated with expired vaccines.

“The general public needs to be clear on the fact that we have never and will never allow any expired COVID-19 vaccine to be used in Nigeria. I want to assure Nigerians and the global community that our COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Nigeria is built on strong principles of safety, transparency, integrity and accountability.”