1 Million COVID 19 Vaccines Expired in Nigeria Last Month

Last month, up to one million COVID 19 vaccines are estimated to have expired, according to sources from Reuters.

This is one of the largest single losses of COVID 19 vaccines and it shows the difficulty experienced by African nations in getting shots in arms.

In richer regions, governments on the African continent with a population of over one billion have been pushing for more vaccine deliveries to make up for the lagging inoculation rate. This has increased the risk of new variants one of which is the Omicron coronavirus currently spreading across South Africa.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and home to over 200 million people has recorded fewer than 4% of adults being fully vaccinated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, a recent increase in the supply of the vaccine has led to a new problem in many African countries. They cannot manage the shots because some of the COVID 19 vaccines come with a short shelf life.

According to sources from Reuters, the expired doses were made by AstraZeneca(AZN.L) and delivered from Europe. COVAX, the dose-sharing facility led by the GAVI vaccine alliance and the WHO supplied these vaccines, although they are increasingly reliant on donations.

Another source mentioned that some of the doses were delivered here within four-to-six weeks of expiry and despite all the efforts put in by health authorities, they could not be used in time. Sources said the count of expired doses is still in progress and an official number has not been finalized yet.

However, WHO in a statement made responding to questions related to the vaccines wasted said

“Vaccine wastage is to be expected in any immunization programme, and in the context of C0VID-19 deployment is a global phenomenon”.

Read also: Gricd Partners With NPHCDA to Deliver 4.2 Million Doses of Moderna COVID Vaccine

It said the fact that the vaccines are delivered with “very short” lives is a huge problem.

The vaccine loss in Nigeria appears to be one of the biggest of its kind, over a short time period. It has even outstripped the total number of vaccines that some other countries in the region have received.

Follow Naija.fm on our social media handles Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with trending news, breaking news, entertainment news, and hot gist.