Nigeria confirms 131 new COVID-19 cases

ANKARA (AA) - Nigeria’s health authorities on Tuesday confirmed 131 new COVID-19 infections as it continues vaccination drive against the disease.

The overall caseload in the West African country has now reached 161,868, including 2,030 deaths and 148,125 recoveries.

The country received nearly 4 million doses of coronavirus vaccine produced by Oxford-AstraZeneca through the WHO-led COVAX initiative earlier this month.

It began the inoculation drive on March 5, and so far 122,410 people have been vaccinated, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency. The current phase covers health workers and other frontline workers.

Amid concerns over the efficacy of the vaccine, Faisal Shuaib, head of the agency, said no Nigerian has developed any known severe side effects following the vaccination.

“What we have observed among some vaccines are mild side effects such as pain and swelling at the site of the vaccination, body pains and mild fever,” he told the weekly briefing of COVID-19 Presidential Task Force in the capital Abuja on Monday.

Authorities have also engaged the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs to encourage people to get inoculated.