Nigeria to limit first doses of AstraZeneca due to supply concerns

By Libby George
LAGOS, April 7 (Reuters) - Nigeria has directed its 36
states and federal capital territory to stop giving first doses
of AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) AZN.L COVID-19 vaccines once they use half
their current stock in order to safeguard supply for the second
dose, its health minister said.
Osagie Ehanire said the directive came amid concerns over
when Nigeria would get another shipment of the shots after India
put a temporary hold on all major exports of the doses made by
the Serum Institute of India (SII). India, the world's second most populous country, is aiming
to preserve supply to meet domestic demand. It reported a record
115,736 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a 13-fold increase in
just over two months. "We thought that it was proper for us under the
circumstances to ensure that those who were vaccinated were
fully vaccinated," Ehanire said in a televised briefing on
Tuesday evening.
Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation, and inoculating
its 200 million citizens is seen as key to stemming the global
spread of the virus.
The country has used roughly a quarter of the 3.92 million
doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines, produced by the SSI, that it
received on March 2. It had administered 964,387 first doses as of April 6, but
progress varied widely by state. Twenty-one of its states and
capital territory had given first doses to more than half of
those targeted for shots, but it was not clear whether the
figures also reflected the proportion of shots available within
the state. It is spacing the doses by three months.
The head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control said
India's decision would undermine Africa's vaccination plans, and
could have a "catastrophic" impact if extended.
Nigeria hopes to receive up to 70 million doses of the
Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N COVID-19 vaccine this year through the
African Union.