The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, has said Nigeria is to receive about 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines.
Speaking during a briefing of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, he said, “The federal government has signed off to receive up to 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines through the African Union platform.”
He said Nigeria is also expecting more vaccines through the COVAX facility by the end of May or early June. According to him, by then the country would have completed the process of administering the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to vaccinated people.
Having received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in early March, Nigeria commenced vaccination beginning with healthcare workers. Over one million people have since been vaccinated.
The J&J COVID-19 single-dose vaccine is compatible with standard vaccine storage and distribution channels with ease of delivery to remote areas.
The vaccine is estimated to remain stable for two years at -4°F (-20°C), and a maximum of three months at routine refrigeration at temperatures of 36-46°F (2 to 8°C).
