NIGERIA – The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), which facilitated the procurement of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ vaccine has said each dose will be offered at US$7.50 as against US$10.
The bank’s Regional Chief Operating officer, Mr Abdoulaye Kone, who disclosed this in an interview, said that the country would be procuring about 29,850,000 doses, through the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
Following the receipt of the shipment of 177,600 doses on Thursday, Nigeria becomes one of the earliest beneficiaries of the supply deal agreed in March, 2021 to procure 220 million doses for the continent, with the potential to order another 180 million.
The single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by J&J is highly effective in preventing severe illness and death from the Delta and Beta variants of the coronavirus, data from a clinical trial in South Africa indicated.
Kone said that with the first shipment of 177, 600 doses of the J&J single dose vaccines, Nigeria would be receiving its over 2 million vaccines doses in batches.
He disclosed that the J & J vaccines rollout began in August 2021, with Togo being the first African country to receive the shipment from the Africa Union AVAT initiative on Aug. 5.
The vaccines have been received in Cairo, Egypt, Lesotho, Angola, Mauritius, Ghana and now, Nigeria. The target is to deliver almost 50 million vaccines before the end of December, 2021.
“By January, 2022, the number of vaccines being released will be in excess of 25m per month,” he explained.
Very low access to vaccines has exposed Africa to a devastating third and fourth waves of COVID-19. Death rates are rising and economies are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
“Afreximbank is pleased to have contributed in the historic procurement of vaccines by AVAT. We look forward to better days ahead for our people through this effort,” Kone quoted Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Afreximbank, as saying.
The agreement with J&J was made possible through a USD 2 billion facility provided by Afreximbank, who are also the Financial and Transaction Advisers, guarantors, installment payment advisers and payment Agents.
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