Covid-19: ‘Why Nigerian children won’t be vaccinated’

The Federal Government has explained why Nigerian children are not been considered for the coming Covid-19 vaccines.

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said that the vaccines have not been proven to be safe for children.

He was speaking on Monday in Abuja at the joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19.

This is as he said that the much-expected Covid-19 vaccines will hopefully arrive Nigeria between February 22nd and next week Monday.

“What the evidence has shown is that the vaccines have been tried in individuals above 15 years of age for the Pfizer vaccine and above 18 years in the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The finding is that these are only the individuals that the vaccines are safe to tried on.

“I am sure that there is data to give on the effects of VOCID-19 in children. However, from the data that has been shared by the NCDC, people who are most affected by Covid-19 are those that are adults or those that have co-morbidity, especially the elderly,” Shuaib said.

Speaking on the arrival of the vaccines, he said, “It is not our intention to postpone the arrival date of the vaccines, however any change in the delivery date will be properly communicated to Nigerians.”