Nigeria Approves Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine As SA Considers New Virus Curbs On India Threat

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has approved the use of Pfizer COVID-19 in Nigeria.

NAFDAC’s approval is coming a few months after it gave a nod for the use of the Oxford-Astrazeneca jabs.

However, in South Africa, the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic in India has prompted the government to consider introducing additional measures in order to stave off a third wave.

According to Bloomberg, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told an online conference that a close eye was being kept on India, which has now the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the world.“The challenges we have seen in India are very serious,” Mkhize said. “We have received an advisory from the ministerial advisory council that we have to consider some restrictions and we are now going through that,” he said, without giving details.

But, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye announced during a virtual meeting on Friday in Abuja, however, that the vaccine is for emergency use

Earlier in March, Nigeria had received 3.9 million doses of the Astranezeneca jabs and flagged off the vaccination exercise during an event organized by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Abuja.
“I think that is about the best news we’ve heard since,” said medical doctor, Ngong Cyprian, the first person to take the vaccine in Nigeria. “I only wished my dad had had this vaccine, maybe months ago or so. We lost him but we thank God, and the fight is still on and we will win.”
Nigeria is got its first doses of the vaccines one year after COVID-19 was confirmed in the country. Photo: Twitter@NPHCDA.
Since the vaccination campaign began, over 600, 000 persons have taken the jabs, as the country records a lower number of infections.‘Mild Reactions’
While many countries had stopped the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of a blood clot, the NPHCDA was quick to douse fears, saying those who took the vaccines in the country only experienced mild side effects.
“While the mild reactions include body pains and swelling, the moderate to severe adverse events presented were fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, and allergic reactions,” the agency added.

To ensure the availability of the vaccines, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Faisal Shuaib, said the Nigerian government is expecting about 29.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 jab.

He said the government signed off to receive the vaccines through the African Union (AU), while vaccine deliveries through the COVAX facility were expected by the end of May or early June.

But South African President Cyril Ramaphosa eased coronavirus restrictions in March as the rate of new infections dropped, scrapping most limits on alcohol sales, shortening a night-time curfew and permitting larger public gatherings.

Covid-19 infections in Africa’s most-industrialized economy have fallen from about 22,000 a day in January to fewer than 1,000, even without a large-scale vaccination campaign.