Vice-president Yemi Osinbanjo says Nigeria was making efforts to develop local medicines, including vaccines to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The vice-president also said there are nearly 120 laboratories conducting COVID-19 tests nationwide; 70 of them government-owned.

Mr. Osinbanjo who on Thursday took a tour of the the facilities of the Nigeria Centre of Disease Control’s Reference Laboratory in Abuja, said the Nigerian public health sector has improved in its response capabilities.

One of such capabilities, he said, was the testing of COVID-19 samples which were hitherto conducted abroad.

“We have expanded the footprint of our sovereign public health response capabilities especially at the subnational level and in areas where previously such capabilities did not exist,” Mr. Osinbajo was quoted to have said in a statement released by his spokesman, Laolu Akande.

“Not so long ago, test samples had to be flown out of the country for examination. This is no longer the case as we now have the capacity to process samples internally,” he added.

The vice-president applauded the efforts of health workers in their fight against the pandemic. He said many frontline workers put their lives and resources on line to save the nation from the pandemic. He also commended the progress of the public health sector since the break out of the viral infection last February.

“Thousands of health professionals have been working tirelessly on Nigeria’s COVID-19 public health response.

“From the people across sample collection sites and laboratories ensuring testing, and our dedicated physicians, nurses, and other health workers in treatment centres providing care to the sick, to our medical scientists that are conducting research on various aspects of this plague,” he said.

Mr. Osinbajo further noted that ”we are not yet where we want to be, we are most certainly not where we were at the onset of the pandemic.”

He stated that such achievement should not be taken for granted, “but one that we are determined to consolidate on.

Speaking on research efforts by Nigerian scientists looking to develop locally made vaccines and testing kits for Nigerians, Mr. Osinbajo said he has been in touch with Nigerian experts over the possibility.

“Last week I was in briefing meetings, listening to the landmark research of a team of Professors from LUTH who are investigating the efficacy of some of the drugs in the therapeutic management of COVID-19 and are researching its prophylactic use.

“A few days later I was listening to Professor Christian Happi and his team who have produced a ground-breaking COVID-19 rapid test, but more remarkably, are developing a Nigerian anti-COVID-19 vaccine,” the vice-president said.

Mr. Osinbajo urged Nigerians to continue to comply with COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical measures, and to take safety measures for themselves and their loved ones.