A Nigerian authority acknowledged that they were aware of the short shelf life of covid vaccines; They accepted them due to the shortage of these doses in their country.
The Nigerian federal government destroyed this Wednesday over a million expired AstraZeneca vaccines, as confirmed by Nigerian health authorities quoted yesterday by local media.
“We could have followed the advice of some experts and tested these vaccines after their expiration date, but (…) we made the decision to destroy them”said at a press conference held late on Wednesday the director of the National Development Agency for Primary Health Care (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, according to the Nigerian press reported today.
Shuaib explained that these vaccines expired in November Y they were part of a batch of more than 2.5 million doses that Nigeria received last October 11 and 29.
“A few months ago, when they offered us these doses, we knew they had a short lifespan, but (we accepted them because) we lived in a scenario where the supply of covid-19 vaccines was very scarceShuaib specified.
At that time, according to Shuaib, the “countries that manufacture vaccines” they were accumulating them in their warehouses Y They “offered donations” to Nigeria only “when they were about to expire”.
“Still, we appreciate donations from those countries,” he added.
Likewise, the NPHCDA acknowledged that various logistical issues and other problems on the ground also contributed to the expiration of vaccines before they could be administered.
Shuaib, however, praised the health workers for their efforts to try to deliver these vaccines in the shortest time possible and described them as “heroes” who worked tirelessly.
“We worked around the clock in very extreme situations just to make sure Nigerians had access to vaccines,” said the NPHCDA director.
Regret for sending vaccine donations with short shelf life
Last November, the African Union Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) COVAX mechanism called on the international community to follow strict standards when delivering doses against covid-19 to the countries of the continent.
Those institutions regretted in a joint statement that many donations were sent to African countries “on short notice and a short shelf life”, which makes health authorities have problems planning vaccination campaigns.
By now, Nigeria, the most populous countryside of Africa, with some 206 million inhabitants, registered more than 231,410 cases of covid-19, of which about 3,000 ended in deaths.
Until now, just over 2% of the total Nigerian population was vaccinated against the coronavirus with the full schedule. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
