Nigeria has received a donation of four million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from the US government.
The US embassy in Nigeria says the donated vaccines are part of the “US pledge to initially provide at least 25 million of the 80 million doses globally to Africa”.
The US donated the vaccines to Nigeria through the international vaccine distribution facility, Covax. They have been handed over to Nigerian officials in the capital, Abuja.
The Nigerian authorities say the Moderna jabs are expected to increase vaccination rates across the country.
Nigeria has so far vaccinated just around 1% of its 200 million people with AstraZeneca doses received in March through Covax.
The latest consignment of the jabs comes as the country is experiencing an upsurge in daily reported cases of the virus with continued spread of the more infectious Delta variant.
Officials say the country is now beginning to experience a third wave of the pandemic.
