The Federal Government has made plans for the procurement of about 140 million coronavirus vaccines between now and next year, Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Kayode Fayemi has said.
Fayemi, who is also Ekiti State Governor, said: “We expect that about 80 million doses of vaccines would be available in 2021 to cover 40 per cent of the population, while another 60 million doses are being planned for 2022.
“Beyond government’s procurement of vaccines, we at the NGF are also strong proponents of the utilisation of public-private partnerships in vaccines procurement as a means of closing the gap between what is available and what is necessary to achieve herd immunity.”
Fayemi said this in his speech on Tuesday at Chatham House Event, London; titled: “The role of Nigeria’s state governments in recovery: Responses to COVID-19-linked challenges.”
The NGF Chairman, who gave a detailed presentation of Nigeria’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the discovery of the first case on February 27, 2020, till the emergence of the second wave, said the country adopted a strategy with three thematic areas, to include prevention, treatment and economic.
Fayemi noted that since vaccines themselves are not cost-effective, but rather immunisation is, state governments have a role to play in supporting the logistics and ensuring people get the vaccines.
He added: “Using the Vaccines Readiness Assessment Tool (ViRAT), I have encouraged my colleagues to revisit and strengthen their vaccines cold chain and logistics, step up demand creation and communication and map out priority persons to receive vaccines among other things
Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
Nigeria plans for 140m doses of inoculation in two years, says Fayemi
February 3, 2021
Nigeria plans for 140m doses of inoculation in two years, says Fayemi
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedInWhatsAppEmail
By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
The Federal Government has made plans for the procurement of about 140 million coronavirus vaccines between now and next year, Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Kayode Fayemi has said.
Fayemi, who is also Ekiti State Governor, said: “We expect that about 80 million doses of vaccines would be available in 2021 to cover 40 per cent of the population, while another 60 million doses are being planned for 2022.
“Beyond government’s procurement of vaccines, we at the NGF are also strong proponents of the utilisation of public-private partnerships in vaccines procurement as a means of closing the gap between what is available and what is necessary to achieve herd immunity.”
Fayemi said this in his speech on Tuesday at Chatham House Event, London; titled: “The role of Nigeria’s state governments in recovery: Responses to COVID-19-linked challenges.”
The NGF Chairman, who gave a detailed presentation of Nigeria’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the discovery of the first case on February 27, 2020, till the emergence of the second wave, said the country adopted a strategy with three thematic areas, to include prevention, treatment and economic.
Read Also: COVID-19 vaccine can’t kill, says PTF
Fayemi noted that since vaccines themselves are not cost-effective, but rather immunisation is, state governments have a role to play in supporting the logistics and ensuring people get the vaccines.
He added: “Using the Vaccines Readiness Assessment Tool (ViRAT), I have encouraged my colleagues to revisit and strengthen their vaccines cold chain and logistics, step up demand creation and communication and map out priority persons to receive vaccines among other things.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Plans must also be comprehensive enough to address other areas that could create a logistical nightmare such as storing vaccines, reaching out and ensuring people come back to receive their second doses.
“We have considerable experience on this, having handled polio vaccination, which actually led to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Nigeria.
“On the economic front, our major priority is to secure livelihoods. National monetary and fiscal policy reforms must align to support improvements in household income,” Fayemi said.
On the way forward, Fayemi suggested an enhanced collaboration of all stakeholders, particularly the need to invest in the development of the health sector.
“As we look forward to recovery from the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, our approach must shift from emergency response to strengthening the resilience and sustainability of our health system. We must task ourselves and rethink existing assumptions and facts around financing and delivery of health care in a manner that guarantees we build back better.
“This requires adequate funding of the health sector. We have begun to advocate for increased investment in health security and public health emergencies by state governments.
“In Ekiti State for example, our capital budget for health in 2021 increased by 250% above 2020 figures. Our new four-year strategy for the health sector has public health security as a major priority.
“At the NGF, we are recommending that states begin to think about establishing their own Centres for Disease Control.”
