The arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria has been a source of joy to many; especially those who watched President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on National Television take their first shots.
The public demonstration of receiving the vaccine was meant not only to create awareness but also remove doubts and fears in the minds of people who still do not believe in the existence of the virus.
This is because there has been a conspiracy theory making the rounds that the vaccine is dangerous for humans.
The theory also claimed that the vaccine is to sterilise humanity to reduce the population of the world.
Nigeria received 3.94 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on March ----2, 2021, to be given freely to people who are willing to take it.
It is part of the 16 million doses to be delivered to Nigeria in the next few weeks.
Nigeria was the third African country after Ghana and Ivory Coast to receive the vaccine, made possible through a global COVID-19 Vaccine Access Programme.
With the arrival of the vaccine therefore, government, health practitioners and experts need to step up enlightenment to educate the public about the need for them to get inoculated.
There is the need to educate the public that the vaccine is safe, can boost one’s immunity and can protect against severe consequences.
Dr Peter Akumba, a health practitioner, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “we need to create awareness on the efficacy of the vaccine to defeat sceptics.
“There should be no politics around it, states should effectively take charge of the distribution and preservation of their share of the vaccine and create facility for it.”
Akumba further noted that the Federal Government got this right “and we need to commend all the health agencies and the COVID-19 committees.
“The Federal Government right from the beginning took the bull by the horn, seeing the pandemic as a preventable war. A war on the human race, a war of survival from the global village with a global pandemic, threatening to wipe us all away.”
Dr Obinna Aduba, another Medical Practitioner and a specialist in disease control, decried the attitude of some Nigerians toward the vaccine.
He said “this is no time to play politics with such a global pandemic that has wiped out over two million people with over 500,000 from United States alone, and the fear of second and third outbreak being predicted.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the priority is to start vaccinating health workers at high risk of exposure, followed by older adults, before immunising the rest.
On people with allergies, especially people with history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine, they are advised not to take it.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 than non-pregnant women, and COVID-19 has been associated with increased risk of pre-term birth.
However due to insufficient data, WHO did not recommend the vaccination of pregnant women at this time.
In case a pregnant woman has an unavoidable risk of high exposure (e.g. a health worker), vaccination may be considered in discussion with their healthcare provider.
If a breastfeeding woman is part of a group (e.g. health workers) recommended for vaccination, vaccination can be offered. WHO did not recommend discontinuing breastfeeding after vaccination.
On children, WHO did not recommend vaccination below 16 years of age, even if they belong to a high-risk group.
On people with known medical conditions, the WHO says the vaccine has been found to be safe and effective in people with various conditions that are associated with increased risk of severe disease.
This includes hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver or kidney disease, as well as chronic infections that are stable and controlled.
However, the WHO says, further studies are required for the impacts on immune-compromised persons.


The most difficult time has passed. We now have a vaccine, and the virus will no longer affect us.