Featured, Health
Unfortunately, recent reports on social media and some negative campaigns by some experts on the efficacy and side effects of Coronavirus vaccines may discourage many Nigerians from taking the vaccines. While the nation awaits the arrival of the vaccines, aggressive campaigns and enforcement of the Covid-19 protocols are necessary to check the spread of the virus.
By Benprince Ezeh
THE world was shocked when the Coronavirus, COVID-19, attacked most nations, crippling their economies. Bur scientists, medical doctors, and big pharmaceutical companies with total support from governments worked feverishly to find a solution in the form of vaccines. By December 2020, some companies, including Pfizer and Moderna rolled out vaccines. And everyone is supposed to be delighted at the solution, but some people have mounted stiff opposition to the vaccines.
Some health workers have also shunned the vaccines, making it difficult for non-health workers to readily buy into the idea of taking the coronavirus vaccines.
The negative perception about the vaccines is borne out of previous experiences when pharmaceutical companies deployed their vaccines and in some cases newly produced drugs to nefarious use. In the case of Nigeria, for instance, Pfizer is still associated with the children who died in Kano when it carried out unauthorised testing of drugs on them. There has been also tales that the vaccines are a tool for depopulation of Africa and that it will cause infertility in addition to interfering with the DNA of any person who takes the vaccine.
Despite the negative perception of the vaccines in Nigeria, the federal government through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, is planning to procure the vaccines to curb the spread of the disease in the country. The NPHCDA plans to distribute the Covid-19 vaccines in Nigeria through pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech.
The country hopes to get 42 million COVID-19 vaccines to cover one-fifth of its population through the global COVAX scheme, according to Faisal Shuaib, head of the NPHCDA. The federal government said in a publication alongside the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, that the rate of infection per state/region would determine the priority to be adopted in the distribution of vaccines in the country.
The plan is for states to initially receive 4,000 vaccines during the first phase as the government urges that healthcare workers and the elderly be given priority in administering the vaccines.
It has been reported President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would be among the first recipients of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine from the first 100,000 doses which are expected to be available this January. It would be distributed to key political leaders and health workers in order to raise awareness before it gets to the citizens.
According to the reports made available to Realnews, the vaccines will be distributed as follows: Kano State 3,557; Lagos 3,131; Katsina 2,361; Kaduna 2,074; Bauchi 1,900; Oyo 1,848; Rivers 1,766; Jigawa 1,712; Niger 1,558; Ogun 1,473; Sokoto 1,468; Benue 1,423; Borno 1,416; Anambra 1,379; Zamfara 1,336; Delta 1,306.
Kebbi 1,268; Imo 1,267; Ondo 1,228; Akwa Ibom 1,161; Adamawa 1,129; Edo 1,104; Plateau 1,089; Enugu 1,088; Osun 1,032; Kogi 1,030; Cross River 1,023; Abia 955; Gombe 908; Yobe 842; Ekiti 830; Taraba 830; Kwara 815; Ebonyi 747; Bayelsa 589; FCT 695; Nasarawa 661.
The federal government has also set aside N10 billion in the 2021 Appropriation Bill for the purpose of procuring and evaluation of Covid-19 vaccines when they are ready.
Regardless of what the government said and its willingness to assist its citizen with the vaccine, the question is will Nigerians agree to take the vaccines?
Many Nigerians have expressed mixed feelings towards the vaccine. Some medical practitioners and public health officials think that the drug makers need to warn people that coronavirus vaccine shots may have some rough side effects so that they know what to expect and should not be scared away from getting the second dose.
Sandra Fryhofer of the American Medical Association said both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines require two doses at varying intervals. As a practicing physician, she said she worries whether her patients will come back for a second dose because of the potentially unpleasant side effects they may experience after the first shot. “We really need to make patients aware that this is not going to be a walk in the park,” she said.
According to Fryhofer, during a virtual meeting with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, ACIP, an outside group of medical experts had advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. She is also a liaison to the committee. “They are going to know they had a vaccine. They are probably not going to feel wonderful. But they’ve got to come back for that second dose,” Fryhofer said.
Kathryn Jarvis, Managing Director, at health care efficiency expert at Bed Beacon, tells Very well that it’s important to think about when healthcare workers will be vaccinated. “Healthcare workers typically are screened for fevers and not allowed to work until they are free from fever. If the vaccine causes common side effects such as fever and chills, timing vaccine distribution among them will be key to ensure proper staffing.
“As we try to balance treating our patients and also protecting our bodies, we should think about the timing of how we give healthcare workers the vaccine and our healthcare staffing,” she says.
According to Jarvis, she plans to get the vaccine on the last day of her workweek to maximize her ability to help patients, assuming she gets a fever and needs a few days to recuperate.
As for which vaccine Jarvis may prefer to give, she says doctors will have to compare the side effects of the vaccine to the disease.
“I believe it will be very powerful to put the side effects of the vaccines in one column and the side effects of COVID-19 in the other, that would be an awesome visual to show risk/benefit,” she said.
Evaristus Eze, a trader said that he won’t take the vaccine because of the rumour that it will tamper with his DNA or render him impotent. Some people even said that it could affect my DNA and I don’t know what would happen if my natural DNA is changed. So I am afraid and I don’t think I am going to be part of the people taking such vaccine,” he said.
Ifeoluwa Adebayo, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, said that she won’t take it because it could disturb her womb and might result in being barren’. “Many doctors abroad have warned of the side effects on both men and women and for me they said it affects the womb.
“I want to have kids for my future husband and as well as answer a mother. So I won’t risk my life by taking the vaccine when I know nothing is wrong with me,” she said.
Chekwube (real name withheld), another student said that she won’t take the vaccine because she doesn’t trust anything coming from this government. “I know coronavirus exists, but the symptoms are like that of malaria.
“Do you know we could have contracted it one way or another without knowing it, but because of the malaria drugs we have been taking, our immune system and hormones are strong to fight it so it won’t escalate.
“We have stronger hormones than the whites, they don’t have a high rate of malaria over there, but here in Africa, we live, dine, and share our homes with malaria. So with these reasons, I will not take the vaccine because I don’t trust it and it could have side effects,” she said.
Collins Enenta, a worker and also a footballer said that if it’s effective, why are the premier league players contracting it week in week out. “You can’t tell that it doesn’t have side effects hence many footballers aren’t taking it.
“I have not heard that any footballer has taken it, rather when they contract it, they go on self-isolation and after 14 days they are back in their game. With all I know, nothing would make me take the vaccine,” he said.
However, there are some Nigerians who are willing to take the vaccine. They understand that the new vaccines, including the ones approved by the UK Government – Pfizer/BioNTech, use a fragment of the virus’s genetic material or messenger RNA.
“Injecting RNA into a person does not do anything to the DNA of a human cell,” says
Emmanuel Enang, a doctor with the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Abeokuta. “It works by giving the body instructions to produce a protein, which is present on the surface of the coronavirus. The immune system then learns to recognise and produce antibodies against the protein.
“This is not the first time we have looked into claims that a coronavirus vaccine will supposedly alter the DNA. We saw a popular video spreading the theory on the internet, but posts have noted that messenger RNA, mRNA vaccine technology “has never been tested or approved before,” he said.
Jennifer Ani, a nutritionist, says that she is not sure yet about the vaccine, but that she believes that if it is for her health, she will take it. “To be honest, I am having double mind with regards to that vaccine because I have heard so many stories about its side effect, but still not proven. So if the health authorities can convince me that it is for my safety and that of my family, why won’t I take it?
“I think there is politics in this vaccine issue, but I will wait for people to start taking it before I do. I won’t be the first to avoid stories,” she said.
A public servant, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she would take it for prevention. “I will take it because it is for prevention just like the way hepatitis vaccine is for prevention, so I will have to take it.
“If you ask me, I don’t see any reason why I won’t take a covid-19 vaccine that I know it would help keep me safe from contracting it,” she said.
On his part, Kenneth Abah, a civil servant said that he would take the vaccine when available. “We have been taking vaccines before now, so covid-19 vaccine won’t be different.
“Since we wear mask and all for prevention and it is still not working, why not try another way, when we all know that prevention is better than cure,” he said.
Although many Nigerians are still not convinced or comfortable with taking the vaccines, the idea of having top politicians and eminent persons in the country as the first persons to take the vaccines will certainly change the negative attitude of Nigerians towards the vaccines.
– Jan. 15, 2021 @ 17:55 GMT /
Tags: Fear of Covid-19 vaccine: Real or Myth
