Storage facilities: Nigeria may waste 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, say Experts
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Friday Olokor, Dayo Ojerinde and Wale Oyewale
Virologists and other medical experts have warned that 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine the country is expecting may become useless, if proper arrangements are not made for their transportation and storage.
The experts, including the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, Dr Patrick Dakum; a medical virologist, Dr Oladipo Kolawole, and a professor of Virology at the University of Ibadan, David Olaleye, in separate interviews with
The PUNCH, advised government to ensure proper storage and transportation of the vaccine to achieve its desired result.
COVID-19 vaccines: Late delivery imminent over NAFDAC approval
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ENIOLA AKINKUOTU, ALEXANDER OKERE AND ADEYINKA ADEDIPE
The delivery of COVID-19 vaccines may suffer delay following the failure of the Federal Ministry of Health to write the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration for approval,
Sunday PUNCH has learnt.
A director at the health ministry confirmed this to one of our correspondents on Saturday.
The Executive Director, Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, had said on January 5, 2021, that 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine would arrive in Nigeria by the end of January, which is now two weeks away.
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Covid-19 vaccines are providing hope that the pandemic is coming to an end. But mass immunization will be a huge feat, especially in low and middle-income countries. Startups like Nigeria s Gricd are trying to bridge the gap, providing portable cold boxes that can be transported to remote and rural areas.
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Gricd cold boxes are packaged securely, and equipped with monitoring devices that can detect their location, internal temperature and humidity. This creates a controlled environment to ensure the vaccine s efficacy.
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In sub-Saharan Africa, where 600 million people live off the grid, PEG Africa is helping to outfit rural health clinics with solar power, so that they can power vaccine refrigeration, as well as carry out other medical procedures that require energy.