Faisal Shuaib, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency has denied m reports of a coronavirus vaccine sharing formula for states in the country, saying the agency has not communicated to any state the number of vaccines that will be shared with the states.
Shuaib, a medical doctor on Friday appeared on ARISE News and stated that there’s been no official communication to that effect from his office, neither has any emanated from the federal ministry of health or the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.
“I am surprised to hear that there is any allocation pattern that has been published from my office,” Shuaib said when he featured on an ARISE News program, The Morning Show.
“We have not communicated to any states or any entity whatsoever the quantities of vaccines that would be shared with the states.
“If there’s any official communication, it will, of course, come from my office or the office of the honourable minister of health or for that matter the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 that is responsible for the overall coordination of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
“There’s no official communication around what quantities of vaccines will go to any state. Maybe what people are talking about are some of the conversations around the potential prioritization of the Nigerian populace.
“We’ve spoken about the fact that we’ll be prioritizing the health workers, the elderly, those with co-morbidities and that we’ll be covering up to seventy per cent of the populace.
“In doing all of that we have to consider the epidemiology of the virus and we are aware of the hotspots local government areas, we are also aware of the data around the health workers, so if you’re going to prioritise the health workers that has to be part of the discussion.
“So, I believe that it is very possible that the agency is being quoted out of context. There is no official communication from the agency on the vaccines. These 100,000 doses are actually a drop in the ocean compare to what we need, we are looking to vaccinate up to a 150 million Nigerians, 100,000 doses of vaccines is not anywhere close to what we need.”
By Abel Ejikeme