US Donates Over 3.5 Million Doses of Covid Vaccine to Nigeria

The United States (U.S.) has shipped in over 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines into the country.

A statement on Thursday by U.S. Embassy said the U.S. Mission in Nigeria is pleased to announce the arrival of 3,577,860 doses of Pfizer vaccine for the public health and benefit of the Nigerian people through COVAX, the worldwide initiative ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The statement further said the U.S. shipment arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on October 14.

According to the statement the shipment will bring the total number of U.S.-bilaterally donated doses to Nigeria to over 7.5 million, noting that the U.S. also contributed to the first multilateral donation of AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021, which means that overall COVAX has provided Nigeria with over 10 million doses to date.

The statement read that: “Safe and effective vaccines are our best tool to ending the pandemic. The United States has pledged to purchase and donate 1.1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses worldwide, and to date has delivered more than 180 million doses to more than 100 countries.”

The U.S. government’s continued efforts to provide vaccines to African Union (AU) member countries helps fulfill President Biden’s pledge when he said: “The United States is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that we have demonstrated at home. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic.”

The statement said these vaccine donations are a part of the U.S. government’s continued partnership with the Government of Nigeria in combatting COVID-19. To date, the U.S. government has provided $130 million of support to Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19. The U.S. government is looking forward to continued coordination with Nigeria and its Center for Disease Control to deliver life-saving doses across the country through the COVAX initiative.

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

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