The federal government  has said that vaccination for coronavirus will be prioritised for front line health workers, national leaders and other vulnerable persons from the first 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine expected to arrive the country this month.  

Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, made this known during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 press conference held in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr. Shuaib said front line health workers, national leaders- with “strategic country leadership” and other vulnerable people will be first vaccinated from the 100,000 doses of the vaccines expected to arrive the country later this month. 

“In order to achieve eradication of COVID-19 in Nigeria, we need to cover 70 per cent of the total population with COVID-19 vaccines. Forty per cent will be vaccinated in 2021, while 30 per cent will be covered in 2022″, Mr. Shuaib said. “The priority will be given to frontline health workers, first responders (security), strategic country  leadership, those with co-morbidities.”

Mr. Shuaib also said that “Nigeria is expected to secure  free delivery of 42 million doses of vaccines, which will be a combination of all the available and approved vaccines currently in the market”, adding that that would vaccinate just 20 percent of Nigeria’s population.