The National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, has said Nigeria will receive her first batch of the COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this month, January.

Aliyu revealed that the Presidential Task Force (PTF) is working with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency to ensure the quick delivery of the vaccine, its safety and availability to Nigerians, especially those that are vulnerable, the aged and those with severe illness.  

He said, “In terms of when it is going to be available, there is a lot of work with the National Primary Healthcare  Development Agency, and President Muhammadu Buhari also directed the PTF about two weeks ago to get involved in the nitty-gritty of making sure that the vaccines do come in a timely manner.

“We are expecting the first batch of vaccines possibly towards the end of January, but there is a lot of work going on with our partners. The control of the COVID-19 pandemic will rely not only on full compliance with the non-pharmaceutical interventions but also on the availability and acceptance of vaccination programmes.”

Dr. Aliyu added that “We cannot allow ourselves to become a pariah nation, we don’t really have a choice when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine, we have  to vaccinate our public, especially those that are vulnerable, the elderly, those that are most likely to have severe illness and we will definitely not be left behind as a country.”