First made-in-Nigeria COVID-19 vaccine ready in Nov – TETFund

…. Test, result within seven days

THE COVID-19 vaccine project being sponsored by Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) would be ready for the first clinical trial in November with the agency’s intervention also making it possible for Nigerians to get their COVID-19 test and result within seven days.

  Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, gave the hint while receiving the Senate Committee on tertiary institutions and tertiary education trust fund on an oversight visit to the agency.

   Explaining that 12 Molecular Labs have been established in all the Geo-Political zones around the country, Echono said that through its intervention, Nigerians had overcome the usual long wait of collecting their COVID-19 sample and result.

   According to Echono,  TETFund is collaborating with National Mathematical Centre and the three other inter-university centres in research and also funding research in Lassa fever and communicable diseases.

  “We are collaborating in other areas like in research; for example, one is leading one of our clusters even in COVID research.    They have acquired so much proficiency, experience and expertise in dealing with an animal vaccine, they are part of the team and through that, and we also fund them, improve their laboratories, and buy them equipment. We probably work around the letter of the law, but we recognise the role each plays in developing manpower and improving research in our country. At the beginning of COVID- 19, you can recall how long it was taking to collect samples, how we waited for seven days before you get the result of the test, but through the TETFund’s intervention, we turned it around. About 12 Molecular Labs were established in all the Geo-Political zones around the country, and with the resultant effects, we were able to overcome the seven days wait because of the intervention,” he said.