Lagos secures 300,000 Moderna jabs as Covid-19 cases escalate

…As Pfizer secures full approval to hit market

Sopuruchi Onwuka

Government of Lagos State is set to deploy some 300,000 doses of Moderna vaccines in response spikes in infection rate and fatalities arising from the third wave of the deadly coronavirus disease, popularly called Covid-19.

The development comes as American pharmaceutical multinational, Pfizer, has secured full approval for its double dose vaccines against the coronavirus disease. The approval from United States’ regulators would now make it possible for the company to hit the market with its brand of the vaccine.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who addressed the media in Lagos Monday declared that the state remains the epicentre of the disease in Nigeria, pointing out that the third wave of the virus has spurred jump in the infection rate from 1.1 percent in June to 12.1 in the past week.

Death rate has also jumped by 135 victims in the past month, Governor Sanwo-Olu said, adding that 4,387 positive cases were currently being managed actively in-community as at August 21.

The spike in infection rate, the governor said, has started mounting pressure on available medical facilities at covid-19 treatment centers around the state.

“Over the course of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, about 5,551 patients have been admitted into our various COVID-19 care centres in Lagos, with 506 registered fatalities. Of these deaths, 135 have sadly, happened in this current third wave,” he explained.

He also pointed at difficulties in managing available oxygen for patients at government isolation centers in the state; saying daily supply to the critically ill has surged from 75 to 400 cylinders daily. He stated that the demand for oxygen is expected to worsen in coming months.

“I commiserate with all residents who have lost loved ones to the pandemic. We share in your pain and grief. As a society and as a Government, it is for us to redouble our efforts to defeat this devastating pandemic,” he stated.

In containing the pandemic, Governor Sanwo-Olu appealed to residents to adhere strictly to existing control protocols including use of snout masks and social distancing. He said the state government has identified 5,998 persons most of whom arrived from red-listed countries as possible vectors. He explained that government has successfully isolated 4,500 of the identified persons of interest.

He said his government would deploy 300, 000 doses of the Moderna vaccine for public inoculation through about 150 centers as part of the measures to stem the spread of the virus in the state.

“One of the major pillars of our mitigation strategy for the third wave is vaccination. We are seeing that countries that have vaccinated a large percentage of their population are recording drastic reductions in the numbers of COVID-19 related deaths. This is one of the reasons why we have not spared any cost to ensure that the vaccines that have been provided by the Federal Government are made available to every resident that meets the requirements for the vaccination programme,” he said, adding that vaccination would begin on September 1.

The Oracle Today reports that Lagos State, the epicenter of coronavirus disease in Nigeria, is home to estimated 18 million people. Housing deficits in the state means that social distancing is impossible in highly crowded residential areas.

Meanwhile in the United States where free vaccines are in great abundance, Pfizer has been cleared to progress with mass production of its Covid-19 vaccine after authorities expressed satisfaction with the efficacy.

The FDA had given emergency-use authorization to Pfizer’s vaccine for people age 16 and older last December and gave further emergency-use authorization for people age 12 and up in May. Vaccines also made by Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson also received emergency use authorization but they are yet to receive full FDA approval.

FDA’s approval extends the shelf life of Pfizer shots from six months to nine months.

Over 204 million people in the United States have received the Pfizer vaccine, and there have been reports that the vaccine increases risk of heart inflammation, particularly among young men in the week following their second shot.

The approval now makes it easier for physicians to prescribe a third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine off-label for people who may benefit from additional protection against COVID-19.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement the FDA’s approval “affirms the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine at a time when it is urgently needed.”

The company is now cleared to put a brand label on its vaccine and hit the market with the Comirnaty brand of COVI-19 vaccine.