Delta variant: We are not at level of threat yet to consider lockdown, says minister

The Federal Government ob Thursday assured that despite the presence of the Delta variant of coronavirus in the country, it is not at a level where another national shutdown will be considered.

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, stated this while speaking at the weekly ministerial press briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Ehinare also revealed that apart from the vaccines sourced free of charge, Nigeria has paid for about 30 million doses of Johnson and Johnson doses.

According to him, since the prices of the one-shot vaccine had dropped, the country hopes to purchase about 40 million doses of the vaccines in all.

Ehanire said the 176,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson doses had already been received while the remainder will come in batches.

He assured that the majority of vaccines used in the country would be bought by government rather than depending on those gifted to it by other countries.

The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, noted that the cases of COVID-19 recently sequenced in Nigeria are Delta variant, which he said had made it the dominant variant in the country.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib, said 2.3 per cent of eligible Nigerians had been vaccinated.