The world has continued to celebrate a Nigerian-born researcher and medical doctor, Onyema Ogbuagbu, for his crucial role in the development of a novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.
The latest of such jillion of accolades was coming from the United States Embassy in Nigeria.
The Embassy showered encomiums on Ogbuagbu for his wonderful contribution towards the development of the vaccine, saying: “Nigerians contribute to the world in so many ways. Our hats off to Dr. Onyema Ogbuagbu at Yale who helped develop a COVID-19 vaccine!”
The US Embassy described Ogbuagu’s effort as an “incredible contribution to ending this world-wide pandemic.”
Ogbuagbu led Pfizer research team for a COVID-19 vaccine using his several years of medical research experience.
It would be recalled that Pfizer/BioNTech recently announced that the first vaccine already developed against COVID-19 could prevent more than 90 per cent of people from getting infected.
Good news!
It has also been reported that the vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.
To this end, Pfizer has assured that it would supply 50 million doses of the vaccine by the end of 2020, and around 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.
Ogbuagbu studied Medicine at University of Calabar, Cross River State. He interned at Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki and later travelled to the United States of America.
Ogbuagbu is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Clinician-Educator Track and Director of HIV Clinical Trials Programme of Yale AIDS Programme at Yale School of Medicine.
Bravo Ogbuagbu!
By Idowu Sowunmi
