A total of 1,066,214 doses were destroyed at the Gosa Dumpsite Idu, Abuja, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

The agency conducted the destruction alongside the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency.

A Reuters report earlier this month indicated that the doses expired in Nigeria's storage last month without being used.

To calm the public panic that followed the report, the government said the doses had already been withdrawn and set for destruction.

"Nigeria does not dispense vaccines with a validity extended beyond labelled expiry date. We continue to adhere to rigorous standards," the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said two weeks ago.

The minister said Nigeria had long struggled with receiving short shelf life doses from donors, and plans to completely stop doing so.

COVID-19 vaccination commenced nationwide in March, but less than 9% of target population has been vaccinated over the past nine months.

Source :PULSE.NG