The Nigerian Government has received samples of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The sample was delivered to the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, on Friday in Abuja by Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexey Shebarshin.
The Russian vaccine is called “Sputnik V” after the Soviet-era satellite that was first launched into space in 1957.
The minister of health made it known that the sample would be referred to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as well as the Nigeria Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, amongst other agencies, for review and possible validation.
Recall that sometime in August, Russia announced that it had produced the first batch of its COVID-19 vaccine after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine.
The president gave the assurance that the vaccine was safe and that one of his own daughters had been vaccinated, though clinical trials were not yet completed and final stage testing involving more than 2,000 people only started this week.
