It is the most populous country in Africa, but also one of the most backward countries on the continent in vaccination against the corona virus.
Individual About 3% of the Nigerian population has received both drugs The COVID-19 vaccine has a very low rate compared to other countries in Africa.
For example, 24% of South Africa’s population is fully vaccinated.
However, in Nigeria a Large stock of expired vaccines that you do not use. It could reach a million doses, according to Reuters.
Says the Nigerian Ministry of Health Expired vaccines will be withdrawn and destroyed.
What vaccines have been sent to Nigeria?
Nigeria, like other African countries, had difficulty accessing the COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year because manufacturers preferred rich countries to sign contracts in advance.
Many African countries relied on the Kovacs program, which at the beginning of the year faced difficulties in meeting its vaccine delivery obligations, especially across Africa.
But in recent weeks, supply has improved: rich countries have begun to release most of their reserves through the Kovacs system.
Nigeria received 700,000 doses of astrogenogen vaccine from the UK, 800,000 from Canada in September and 500,000 from France in October.
At the same time, Nigeria received four million doses of Moderna and 3.6 million doses of Pfizer from the United States.
How long can vaccines be kept?
Astrogenogen doses are usually safe for at least six months from the time of manufacture under the right conditions.
But the Nigerian Ministry of Health says some of the donated vaccines are on the verge of expiration, which poses serious logistics challenges.
“It left us with very little time, in some cases, only a few weeks, to use them, after time, to pick them up, distribute them and deliver them to users,” said Health Minister Osaki Ehnir.
Because vaccines can come one after the other, complications are seldom exposed, he added.
The government now claims that expired vaccines will be destroyed and that all polite donations that may be available shortly before expiration or that cannot be made in a timely manner will be rejected.
Are Outdated Vaccines a Problem Elsewhere?
Other African countries, including Malawi and South Sudan, have also been left with expired vaccines.
For its part, the Democratic Republic of the Congo repatriated unused vaccines for distribution in other countries to expire.
In July, some of the World Health Organization (WHO) 450,000 doses have expired in eight African countries, Due to short expiration dates before they are administered.
The WHO and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently called for a change in the way vaccine donations are made to avoid waste.
“Planning at short notice and guaranteeing dose consumption with a short lifespan will exponentially increase the logistics burden on health systems already overburdened,” they said in a statement.
Both systems Donor vaccines are required to be at least two and a half months old Useful life when they come to the country where they benefit.
Recipients know one month in advance of donations. In addition, they expect to be sent with additional essentials such as syringes.
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