The Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control (NCDC) has said that it is working hard to ensure that Nigerians have
access to the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines when available.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu,
Director-General of NCDC, gave the assurance during the Presidential Task Force
(PTF) briefing on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja.
Ihekweazu said that the centre
was working with the global community to ensure access.
He disclosed that data on
research and development of a vaccine against COVID-19 by the global scientific
community showed that results on a possible vaccine were expected in the fourth
quarter of 2020.
The DG, while noting that a
vaccine was the best weapon in taming the virus, however, stressed that
equitable access was key.
He added that the health agency
was working together with other colleagues around the continent, through the
Africa CDC, to start advocating for some of the trials to be done with African
institutions in the short term.
He said: “To do this, we have to
build capacity, gather sufficient data and include African institutions in
these efforts.
“We have to start preparing the
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 does 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.”
Recall that GAVI, an
international organisation – a global Vaccine Alliance, bringing together
public and private sectors with the shared goal of creating equal access to new
and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
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