Those waiting for second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine to heave sigh of relief soon – Official

Eligible residents of Oyo awaiting their second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine can sigh of relief as the government will receive additional doses very soon.

The Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Board, Mr Muideen Olatunji, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Ibadan on Thursday.

Olatunji was responding to complaints by some residents who turned up at designated vaccination centres for their second dose of the vaccine but were informed that the AstraZenca vaccine was unavailable.

”I can confirm to you that other brands of authorised vaccines are available.”

”Mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers for first and second doses is not advisable.”

”It is however, possible to mix and match after the second dose or subsequent booster shots.”

Our correspondent reports Nigeria began the first phases of the COVID-19 vaccination using the 3.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) received from the COVAX facility.

The vaccines were used for frontline workers, among other high risk groups.

It was reported that in 2021, the Oyo State Government received 127,740 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) in Abuja.

The 127,740 doses of the vaccines received by the state government were part of the first phase of vaccines distribution by the federal government.