COVID-19 Vaccine Apathy: Need to Ramp up Awareness
Vaccines are a critical additional tool in the battle against COVID-19 – until the country achieves high coverage of the vaccination, Nigerians must continue to adhere to the public health and social measures outlined by government to suppress transmission of the virus
Becky Uba Umenyili reportsthatgiventheapathytowardstheongoingCOVID-19vaccinationbyNigerians,there is urgent need to ramp up additional dissemination of information, using various channels to properly educate the masses on the consequences of the pandemic, as a way of countering the propaganda from social media
In the wake of the fears of rising mortality through the spread of the corona virus in recent times, Nigerians seem to express lackadaisical attitude in the vaccinations programme that commenced in February this year with the delivery of 4,024,000 doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine received by the Federal Government of Nigeria in March 2021, (3.924 million came through the COVAX facility and another 100,000 doses from the Government of India).
This implied disinterest has gradually metamorphosed into anxiety following some canard story which alleges that for most of those vaccinated, the vaccine has electromagnetic properties which makes the upper arm part the hand where the vaccination was administered to magnet metallic objects, even mobile phone handsets. A claim that is yet to be proven.
The first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccines from Serum Institute of India (SII) under the COVAX scheme of the GAVI, invented to curb further spread of the pandemic was distributed nationwide earlier in the year and the vaccination programme commenced in earnest across the nation.
Reports from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), reveal that recently, a total of 3.4 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have so far been utilised for the first and second rounds, making it approximately 88 per cent of the total COVID-19 vaccine stock in the country.
However, it has been observed that most Nigerians have not made themselves available to partake in the shot as compared to the haste to observe the preventive measures introduced to curtail the pandemic in the previous year. This is despite the clarion call by the Secretary to the Federal Government who is also the Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, for Nigerians to participate in the vaccination programme.
Notably, on the delivery of the vaccines to the federal government, Mustapha said it would be deployed for administrative purposes across the nation in four phases and that the vaccination exercise would commence with frontline health workers who are more vulnerable to infection.
He further assured Nigerians of the efficacy of the vaccines, having also been certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), thereby allaying possible fears of the genuineness of the vaccines as well as debunked undue allegations to discredit the effectiveness of the drug; urging everyone to have confidence in the government sponsored vaccination programme.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, (NPHCDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib said that the agency would ensure the vaccines would be distributed to all eligible Nigerians with a projection that every Nigerian from 18 years upward should be vaccinated within two years.
However, events in recent times have raised sceptical fears in the minds of both those who have been vaccinated and prospective ones. On the allegations of the magnetic power of the vaccines, Dr. Faisal emphatically says that “the COVID-19 vaccines do not contain electromagnetic ingredients that can cause harmful side effects.
“There are no ingredients in the AstraZeneca vaccines or any other COVID-19 vaccines that make people exhibit magnetic properties after being vaccinated for COVID-19. Scientifically, the claim does not make sense”.
The information has gone viral on social media and the fears are very indelible in the minds of people, which can undoubtedly affect the willingness of prospective ones who are yet to be vaccinated to undergo the exercise.
THISDAY spoke to some persons who have been vaccinated as well as sought the opinion of some medical practitioners on the vaccination programme.
Ms Emily Mgbako, a business woman lamented on the reactions on her body following the vaccination after one dose and refused to take the complete dose. Although she did not experience the electromagnetic pull, she expressed fear about the side effects of the vaccine, while nursing doubts about the genuineness of the drug.
“I can’t say for sure but I know that I will not take another one and most people at the centre I took also complained of grave side effects. No, I depend on God and preventive measures, the reaction was too much for my body”.
Recently, government reiterated its assurance on the genuineness of the vaccine and said that the reported cases of mild, moderate and severe reactions since roll out of the COVID-19 vaccination in March this year is naturally expected as is the case with most other vaccines.
“With over three million people vaccinated, Nigeria has not recorded any death case directly linked with Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI). 125 severe AEFI cases were reported while 13,663 mild to moderate cases have been recorded.”
A Lagos based medical Practitioner, Dr. Nonye Nwankwo expresses concern more on the quantity of vaccines brought into the country as compared to the population of Nigerians. She opines “that from statistics from about 4 million vaccines available to 200 million Nigerians, we are yet to exhaust the vaccines, (no thanks to same lackadaisical attitude and fears). From the same stock people have received both 1st and 2nd doses.
“This implies that just about 2million out of 200million have been vaccinated. The absence of queues at the vaccination centres shows it is not priority for most people. Most people who have taken the vaccines have done so for international travel, occupational exposure risks for frontline staffs and/or cooperate organization policy demands to be able to keep their jobs. Very few people have taken it based on voluntary awareness for personal safety.”
This issue of personal safety becomes a priority when viewed from the perspective of peoples’ ignorance about the various phases of waves of the pandemic in recent times. The fact of no alarming rate of death seem to make most people relax, even with preventive measures. It is a common thing now that the strict protocols introduced to curb the spread have not been observed in recent times and no penalties apply. One wonders however, if one needs to be penalised for basic safety issue before observing such duly.
Mrs. Ebere Immaculata Adams, a school administrator concurs to this as she notes “COVID-19 still exists though people no longer care or take the new wave seriously as they did when it first hit all nations early last year. No more panic, wearing face masks, even if they do, they just keep them in their pockets, purses or hang them on their chins. Noticeably, prices of nose masks which were sold exorbitantly at the hike of the pandemic have dropped drastically too.
“Social distancing has become a thing of the past, even in general hospitals patients or people queue and sit very close to one another. Many people now find it difficult to wash their hands regularly and when they do, they don’t make use of soaps. Hand sanitizers are no longer carried in purses or pockets by most people.
“Socially, some people have this notion that the government is telling lies about corona; they believe it’s no longer in the air and that government officials just want to make some money out of the pandemic or should I say endemic.
“Fear of infection has dissipated. Rather, many Nigerians are scared of being vaccinated because of the first impression they have about it accruing from effects of social media videos. Yet it is noteworthy to mention that even the few who are willing to take the vaccines do not have easy access to the accredited hospitals, meaning that the program is not extensively managed”.
Doubts about the reality of the existence of the virus does not negate the fact of its presence. As such the government has assuredly maintained its position to allay peoples’ fears. Dr. Faisal thus says “these vaccines are safe, effective and efficacious. It will do one no harm. Nobody is intending to kill anybody. This is for the good and wellbeing of Nigerians.”
This calls for additional dissemination of information, using various channels to properly educate the masses on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, a way of countering the propaganda effect of misleading information from social media even as it has become very important for the national censor board
in collaboration with the various mobile phone operators and service providers and respective government commissions to look into the vetting of information cabbaged out to the public.
Thus, Mr. Charles Inyomi Ekunke, a Pharmacist said “better education on the menace this virus can cause and sincerity of the stakeholders, is a key issue here. Government has not been sincere because most feedback I get is that when people have malaria they will be registered as COVID-19 patients.
“From my personal observation and survey through customer interaction, a lot of people are sceptical about the vaccination for the simple reason that the world powers are imposing it in the developing countries.
“They opined that for example malaria parasite has been killing a lot of Africans and a potent vaccine to help out the mortality rate in this counties has not been developed.”
While so much measures to encourage massive participation in the vaccination programme pends, it is imperative to note that more percentage of the population are exposed to the risk of infection and this is mostly people of the lower economic class while those of higher echelon seem to still observe preventive protocols.
It should be recalled that other epidemics in the past had similar experience from the populace – initial suspicion and fears, allegations and counter-allegations, rumours and anxieties built up to discourage active participation but subsequent scientific proves emerged to convince the masses otherwise, which made such preventive programmes successful.
For instance, history records that poliomyelitis, an infectious, virus-induced illness that could lead to paralysis, disability and even death ravaged the human masses in the early twentieth century. The hesitancy to accept the vaccine was combated by combined ardours efforts of various governments, multi-nationals and good-willed bodies who developed various educative schemes, using soft social approaches like dramas, dance shows and other constant publicity to enlighten the masses in order to encourage them to receive a jab of the polio vaccine.
As at today, the initial fears of the same vaccine no longer exist and despite side-effects it may have on people, it still treats patients.
A similar feat may be considered to campaign for unbiased participation in the present COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Thus, the WHO Representative in Nigeria Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo recently stated that “vaccines are a critical additional tool in the battle against COVID-19 – until the country achieves high coverage of the vaccination, Nigerians must continue to adhere to the public health and social measures outlined by government to suppress transmission of the virus.”