On Wednesday, Nigerian officials burned more than 1 million outdated doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. They claimed they couldn’t be used before their expiration date. Such a huge lot of vaccines destroyed in Nigeria has raised many eyebrows.
Only 2% of the population is vaccinated till now
Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency’s chairman, Faisal Shuaib, said health authorities in Africa’s most populous country were left with little choice. This happened after receiving donated medicines with a short shelf life.
“We had developed countries that acquired and stored these vaccines,” he explained. “They offered them for donation when they were ready to expire.”
AstraZeneca vaccines destroyed by Nigeria
Shuaib declared last week that Nigeria would no longer accept such gifts. Though he did not explain what officials regarded to be of too short a shelf life.
500% increase in the cases
Nigeria has had a 500 percent increase in confirmed infections, with a 500 percent increase in cases in the last two weeks.
On Tuesday, it verified 2,123 new COVID-19 infections. It was the largest daily count since last January and the second highest since the epidemic began.
“We need to do a better job of assuring greater availability of COVID-19 vaccinations if we are going to combat this COVID-19 epidemic,” Shuaib added. “Until all nations are able to remove COVID-19, no country will be able to eradicate it.”
Vaccines destroyed in Nigeria, country in says no to donations
Shuaib declared last week that Nigeria would no longer accept such gifts, though he did not explain what officials regarded to be of too short a shelf life.
Only 2% of Nigeria’s 206 million people have received all of their vaccinations, and health authorities have set a lofty target of vaccinating more than a quarter of the population by February. Despite the high level of scepticism, the country’s vaccination rate has nearly doubled in the last week.
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