The Federal Government will on Monday receive about 4.8 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said on Sunday.

NPHCDA Executive Director/ CEO, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, in a memo issued to journalists in Abuja, said the consignment is a donation from the American government.

The expected shipment will be the largest of vaccines received since the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign started in March this year.

Nigeria has run out of COVID-19 vaccines after an initial four million doses of AstraZeneca, received from the COVAX facility were utilized three weeks ago.

This is coming barely Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC), called for strict compliance to the COVID-19 protocols in the conduct of all political events in the country.

In a communique issued on Friday, the PSC Chairman and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the call followed recent confirmation of more cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in several states and the continued rising number of infections and hospitalization across the country.

He warned all political parties, State governments, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIEC) to avoid the spread of the virus amid political gatherings and ensure maximum public safety.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has recorded 497 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases as new infections continue to increase amid fears that the third wave of the pandemic has already hit the country.

In its latest update issued on Saturday night, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the total number of cases in the country has risen to 173,908, with the new figure indicating a slight decrease from the 590 reported on Friday as the biggest daily figure since March.

The 497 new cases were recorded in 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with Lagos remaining the epicenter of the virus.

While the nation’s commercial capital recorded 211 cases, Akwa-Ibom State came second with 80 new cases while Kwara recorded 73 cases.

In the South-West, Osun State is ranked 4th on the list with 29 cases while Oyo and Rivers each raked in 17 cases. Cross River recorded 15, Anambra nine and Ogun eight. (Channels TV)

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