Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, becoming one of the first recipients of a booster jab in the most populous African country.

Buhari's personal chief personal physician Suhayb Rafindadi administered the vaccine to the president at the state House in Abuja, during a low-key meeting of senior officials.

Faisal Shuaib, head of the country's National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), told reporters at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, as well as other top officials, including the Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire, have also received the booster jab.

According to Shuaib, the leaders' acceptance of the booster jab was to demonstrate and prove that it is safe to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

So far, over 8 million people have safely received COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria, the senior healthcare official said, adding the country had acquired enough vaccines to cater to eligible Nigerians.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), said the west African country is now experiencing a fourth COVID-19 wave, attributing it to the rise in Delta and Omicron variants infections.

Nigeria has recorded a 500 percent increase in infections in the past two weeks, Ifedayo Adetifa, head of the NCDC, said in a statement sent to Xinhua.

"The country is now in a fourth COVID-19 wave," Adetifa said, noting as of Sunday, Nigeria had recorded 223,887 cases and 2,985 deaths in the 36 states and the federal capital territory.

Health authorities in the country are intensifying risk communication efforts to remind Nigerians of the risk and the need to take collective responsibility to reduce transmission of the virus, the senior public health official said. 

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