From Cmr. Friday Bako

With over 2.6 million total cases and over 188 deaths recorded globally, Nations across the world have continued to deploy measures to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Nigeria also seek diverse ways of preventing the virus with 873 confirmed cases and 28 deaths, a Medical Laboratory Scientist, renowned Virologist and Public Health Epidemiologist, Dr. Ishaku Akyala has called on the Federal Government to constitute a National Technical Committee apart from the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19.

He said the National Technical Working Committee should assemble Virologists, Vaccinologists and other public health experts who will come up with multidisciplinary approach to the fight against the scourge.

Dr. Akyala commended Nations of the World for translating knowledge into products.

He said the 21st Century is knowledge-based and about harnessing knowledge and translating same into products useful to humanity.

He said about 40 companies and academic institutions are into the production of COVID-19 Vaccines.
Dr. Akyala said the UK Health Secretary disclosed that UK is set to commence clinical trial of COVID-19 Vaccines and the United States will do same in two months time which he described as a welcomed development and commendable.

He said in the coming weeks, many Countries will be going into clinical trials of COVID-19 Vaccines and the candidate Vaccine Virus (CVV) will be available soon. He said clinical trial is needed to test the potency of the vaccines.

He said Nigeria must look inward on how best it can translate its abundant and available human resources into useful products.

Dr. Akyala said in the early 70s, Nigeria was doing well in vaccines production. He said with WHO’s partial approval for the production of human vaccines in the 70s, Human Reference Laboratory Yaba Tech Lagos, Nigeria was supplying vaccines to the entire West Africa.
He said National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom, Plateau State was established almost 100 years ago to produce animal vaccines and has been doing exceptionally well.
He said such vaccines production capacities were lost overtime.

He said what is lacking is the necessary framework to harness human resources to combat the present dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.

“Apart from the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, there is need for the constitution of a National Technical Committee where Virologists, Vaccinologists and other Public Health Experts will synergize and come up with multidisciplinary approach to the fight against the Coronavirus.

Dr. Akyala said Nigeria has the capacity in terms of human resources to go into vaccine designs and protocol to await clinical trial in the nearest future.

He commended the Federal Government for push in the fight against COVID-19 but said more need to be put in place to overcome the monstrous virus.

He said NCDC should constitute a National Technical Committee that will draw expertise from the academia and biotech industry to come up with future plan for the production of vaccines.

He said many Nigeria’s Experts Abroad are working with biotech companies and heading Vaccine development Companies.

He advocated for a window for welcome back home to Nigeria’s experts working abroad do that the Country can tap into their expertise.

Dr. Akyala made these disclosures when he appeared as Guest on the Programme COVID-19 Pandemic Update: Virologist on Vaccine Potential on Channels Television on Wednesday 22nd April, 2020.

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COVID-19: Nigerian Virologist, Dr. Akyala Calls for Setting up of National Technical Working Committee