The federal government has taken delivery of samples of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Alexey Shebarshin, Russia ambassador to Nigeria, delivered samples of the vaccine to Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, at his office in Abuja on Friday.
A statement on the Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine by the Ministry’s Director of Information, Media, and Public Relations, Olujimi Oyetomi, also confirmed that the Russian envoy made the delivery during a visit to the ministry in Abuja.
Recall that the World Health Organisation, WHO, had said it would review the effectiveness of the vaccine when Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, said they had approved a vaccine offering “sustainable immunity”.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health’s statement entitled ‘Russian Federation Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Alexey L. Shebarshin on courtesy visit to Nigeria’s Health Ministers, Russian-made COVID-19 Vaccine finally here’, Ehanire “quickly referred” to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and the Nigeria Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, and others for review.
So far, Nigeria now has 54,588 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 42,627 patients have now been discharged, 1,048 patients have lost their lives to the Coronavirus pandemic.