COVID-19: ‘70% of Nigerians must be vaccinated to declare country safe’

By Ukpono Ukpong

The Acting Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Dr Mohammed Kawu, has said that Nigeria can’t be declared safe until 70 per cent of the nation’s population is vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to Journalists in Abuja, Dr Kawu also advised every eligible Nigerians to take the COVID-19 vaccine to help curb the further spread of the virus in the country. He disclosed that FCT got 219,800 doses of vaccines from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, adding that the priority was to vaccinate all the health workers in FCT.

He explained that the brand of COVID-19 vaccine currently being used in Nigeria was safe and efficacious. “The President of this country, the Vice President and all the political leaders of this country have taken the vaccine.

“If it is not safe, we are not that bad as to allow our President, Governors and other political leaders to take this vaccine. “So, you can be sure this vaccine is safe. “This vaccine is coming from a 31-year-old company, established in 1990 in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

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“It is not a Third World vaccine production facility as so many people are saying.

“This vaccine is produced by the company which is a UK and Swedish based companies; they merged in 1990 to form the company. “So, this vaccine we are getting from a very reliable source from the first world; and UK and other European countries are taking this vaccine.

“UK is presently taking this vaccine despite the hitch they got in Sweden and one other country that have withheld the administration of this vaccine. “UK said, as far as they are concerned, they have not seen or heard any side effect that warrants stoppage of the vaccine.

“The vaccine is as potent and as safe as required. “The problem that other countries got was some people developed trembobolism which is common in UK.

“Probably is coincidence, probably is one of the side effects, they are not sure. “So, they want to investigate further with the batch that they are using and the batch is ABC 1530 and that is not the batch we are using in this country and that is not the batch UK is using, Italy too is not using it.

“So, all this countries, as far as they are concerned, the one they are using they have not seen any side effect that warrants stoppage so they are ok; they are comfortable. “Let me also tell you, the moment this vaccine was produced, it has been under trial and testing.

“The samples were sent to all regulatory agencies of all countries, especially (including) our NAFDAC. “NAFDAC has worked on all the Vaccines that have been produced in the world in case Nigeria wants to import them.

“After importing the vaccine, before they were administered, NAFDAC had to take the samples from this batch that has been produced.

“And processed and investigated the safety and all other parameters and they came out to say that this vaccine is perfect. “So far as I am concerned, as a scientist, this vaccine is good, safe and efficacious and I recommend it for myself, family and all Nigerians,” Kawu said.