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COVID-19 vaccine is safe, says physician (Page 2,760)

By Olateju Esther

Dr Rotimi Owolabi, a Public Health Physician and Clinical Researcher in Abuja says
the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and advised Nigerians to take it to prevent contracting the virus when it becomes available.

Owolabi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday assured the public that research had shown
that the vaccine had no serious side effect and effective in checking the spread of the disease.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, on Feb. 2 at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 national briefing in Abuja
said “Nigeria is expected to receive the first batch of 15 million COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca under the COVAX programme.

Although the minister was not specific on the date or time, he disclosed that the government had been advised to expect the
first batch of the vaccines from February.

Also in a communique issued by Kayode Fayemi, Head of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the country had been working with the
World Bank to ensure the supply of the vaccine in the country.

He stated that “Nigeria is among 12 countries in Africa that have indicated readiness of the 92 qualified countries for the
facility and will by end of February 2021 receive its first shipment of vaccines.’’

The public health physician, therefore, explained that the vaccine had been evaluated in clinical trials with procedures in place
to ensure its safety before approval for use.

He, however, advised the public to “always observe the COVID-19 protocols through frequent washing of hands, observing social distance and use fact mask while we wait for the vaccine.

“There is need to adhere to the protocols to check further spread of the virus.”

Meanwhile, some Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions on whether or not they would receive the COVID-19 vaccine when made available in the country.

Mr Samuel Ojo, a businessman in Kubwa area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), told NAN that he would not allow any member of
his family to take the vaccine until he was certain that it had no side effects.

“My family members and i are not willing to take the vaccine because it is obvious that it is dangerous and weakens the cells.”

Also, Mrs Ngozi Uche, a Teacher in Abuja, also said she would not take the vaccine, as she and her family had been complying with
the COVID-19 guidelines, “as such, we are not at risk of contracting the disease.”

She added that her family had cultivated the habit of taking local herbs and spices such as ginger, garlic, turmeric, lemon and hot water as precautionary measures against the diseases, stressing that “the herbs and spices will boost our immunity.”

However, Mr Musa Umar, a civil servant also residing in the FCT, said he was ready to take the vaccine when available, but called on
government officials and prominent Nigerians to take it first.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said on its official twitter handle that while efforts were in progress to access safe and
effective vaccines, it recorded 506 new cases of COVID-19 in the country from Feb. 6 to Feb. 7.

It noted that the centre also recorded a total of 1,667 deaths, with 113525 discharged cases, bringing the total number of infected people to 139,748 since the first case of the virus was confirmed on Feb. 27, 2020. (NAN)

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COVID-19 vaccine is safe, says physician (Page 2,760)