The Federal Government has confirmed that in November, some COVID-19 vaccines expired but were not distributed.
According to a statement signed by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, stated that expired vaccines will be destroyed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Ehanire, however, assured that the government has been handling the situation effectively, upholding the greatest standards for the safety of all Nigerians.
The statement read: “Nigeria has utilized most of the over 10m short-shelf-life doses of Covid-19 vaccines so far supplied to us, in good time, and saved N16.4B or more than $40m in foreign exchange.
“The vaccines that expired had been withdrawn before then and will be destroyed accordingly, by NAFDAC.
“Nigeria does not dispense vaccines with a validity extended beyond labeled expiry date. We continue to adhere to our rigorous standards.
“donors also recognize a need to give away unused vaccines, before they expire in their stock, but they need to begin the process early enough and create a well-oiled pathway for prompt shipment and distribution through the COVAX and AVAT facilities, to reduce risk of expiration.
“With better coordination, vaccines need not expire in the stock of Donors or Recipients.”
