Two more COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for use in Nigeria by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control. They are the Moderna and Sputnik vaccines.
According to the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Moji Adeyeye, who announced the news in Abuja, both vaccines are now approved for emergency use.
The agency had earlier only approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer jabs, for emergency use.
Professor Adeyeye explained that although the Sputnik vaccine, produced in Russia, has not yet been approved by the World Health Organisation, NAFDAC has carried out independent checks on the vaccine and found that the benefits outweigh the risks.
The approval comes as fears of a COVID-19 third wave in Nigeria continue to loom.
The possibility of a third-wave has heightened after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported the Delta variant of the virus in Nigeria.
The variant is believed to be more contagious and deadlier than its predecessors.