As part of efforts to stop the spread of COVID -19, Nigerians have been advised to see vaccination as the way forward going by the recent reality across the globe.
In view of the reservations among lots of people concerning the vaccines, healthcare practitioners have assured that the efficiency and benefits of full vaccination had been proven to outweigh the myth and conspiracy theory surrounding it.
Corroborating on efficacy of COVID -19 vaccination during a field trip with journalists to Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), by UNICEF in collaboration with the Child Right Bureau of the Federal Ministry of information and culture, Mrs. Nwosunba Ginika, a registered nurse at ESUTH, said the turnout for the jab both first dose and second dose was encouraging as an average of 80 to 100 people were vaccinated daily.
She urged Nigerians to disregard rumours against taking COVID-19 vaccination saying, “the rumour has been going around but it’s left for us the health workers to tell them.
We that are in the field, all that we have been vaccinating, we’ve not seen such.”
On whether there were any adverse effects after taking the vaccine, she said “No, here it’s a mild reaction. Some will tell you they have mild fever. Some will tell you they have pain around the spot they were injected, and that’s all. And we tell them to take paracetamol. There is no obvious one.”
Urging Nigerians to go out to take their vaccine, she said, “At least, I have taken mine and if you should put this now, it will not hang. I have tried it, it did not hang. I think they should go and
Mr. Martins Onyedikachi who visited the hospital to take his second dose of the Moderna vaccine said he came out earlier for the first dose because he wanted to be safe, adding that “COVID -19 is not something to be joked with, particularly due to our health system where it will be difficult to afford.”
He Expressing assurance that vaccines are safe and can prevent covid-19, he said, “I do believe in the vaccine, in what it can prevent. I have been taking vaccines from when I was small; whether it has to do with Measles, Yellow fever and the rest. So, when COVID vaccine was talked about and its efficacy, I read about it. I had to read, watch, listen to information about it, it’s not just rumours. So I believed in what I read because of the source and I came for mine.”
On the immediate side effect posed by the vaccine, he said, “Yes, I had side effects about 5 hours later. The first effect was the general pain and heaviness I felt on my left arm. After that, I had a little feverish condition that lasted just for that night and then the next morning. And that was all, I became active again and lived my normal life.
“COVID vaccine is safe, that’s my advice for them. I didn’t have any adverse effects besides the feverish condition. We all suffer malaria, we all have headaches. I wouldn’t say because I have a headache from work stress, then I won’t go to work again. That’s not true. You might have some effects like headaches, feverish condition, it could last for a day or two but that is normal. Take your paracetamol, that’s what I did. I didn’t take any extra drugs. I think I took mine twice and that was all.”
From the comments of the respondents, the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine cannot be overemphasised, because fully vaccination against COVID-19 disease has been the key to protecting communities, save lives from the harmful effect of the COVID-19 disease.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome, and is the most consequential global health pandemic the world has ever experienced since the era of influenza pandemic of 1918.
Vaccination is a simple, safe, and effective way of protection against harmful covid-19 diseases, before one comes into contact with someone who is infected. It uses the body’s natural defences to build resistance to specific infections and makes the immune system stronger.
COVID-19 Vaccines train the immune system to create antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease. However, because vaccines contain only killed or weakened forms of germs like viruses or bacteria, they do not cause the disease or put you at risk of its complications.
