The Federal Government of Nigeria has destroyed over million expired COVID-19vaccines.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) destroyed about one million, sixty-six thousand, two hundred and fourteen (1,066,214) doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to the agencies, the destroyed vaccines are part of the 2, 594,100 doses of Vaccines received on the 11th and 29th October of 2021.
The public health agencies said only One million, five hundred and twenty-seven thousand, eight hundred and Eighty-six of the vaccines (1,527,886 ) were utilized.
The batches of the vaccine destroyed got expired in November.
They were destroyed at the Gosa Dumping site, about 2Km away from the Idu Railway Station in Abuja.
According to the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the decision to destroy the vaccine followed several testing processes that were conducted.
She said it became necessary to destroy them to protect Nigerians from being harmed.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said the vaccines came with a short life span, some as short as 2 weeks to expiration.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said the vaccines came with a short life span, some as short as 2 weeks to expiration.
He described the situation as unfortunate.
