Nigeria’s drug regulator, National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has approved AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 in the country.
The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye on Thursday disclosed the approval as she said Nigeria is better placed to tackle the virus.
AstraZeneca, which was approved by the World Health Organisation was produced by the Serum Institute of India.
The safety and efficacy of the vaccine have been tested, according to Adeyeye, and it has proven to be safe and potent after evaluation by a group of researchers.
AstraZeneca has been found to be effective against the UK strain of COVID-19, which is currently in Nigeria. The vaccine however has been found to be less potent against the South African variant of the virus.
The South African government has rejected AstraZeneca and resorted to Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with President Cyril Ramaphosa and others receiving the first doses of the vaccine.
Kenya has also rejected the vaccine, with the South African variant mostly predominant in the country.
Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) has also approved AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19.