The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has said it is aware of the increasing concerns about the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, noting that Nigeria has suffered a major setback in the campaign to make citizens and residents take the jabs.
The
PTF also decried that some prominent Nigerians had been using the cases of side
effects especially in Europe to discourage their followers from accepting the
vaccine.
The
National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, who was represented by the
National Incident Manager, Dr Muktar Muhammad, made this known at the
press conference of the task force on Monday.
Muhammad
stated this as five more countries halted the administration of the vaccine
because of the fear of the possible deadly side effects.
Recall
that The Federal Government had on Thursday said Nigeria would continue to
administer AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine despite its suspension by eight
European countries.
On
Thursday, eight European countries – Denmark, Norway, Austria, Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, and Luxembourg – suspended all or part of its
roll-out as a precaution while they investigated concerns relating to blood
clots and other side effects caused by the vaccine.
The
Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora; and a prominent
virologist, Prof Oyewale Tomori, had said that there was
nothing to worry about.
The
Federal Government two weeks ago received 3.94 million doses of the
vaccine from COVAX facility, an initiative co-led by the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI
and the World Health Organisation.
Despite
the assurance by the government on Thursday, the National Incident Manager,
Muhammad, on Monday, said, “We have suffered a major setback in the last
few hours regarding the taunted safety and efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca
vaccine. We have seen in the news how some countries have deferred the usage of
this vaccine or have suspended its use. The list of the European countries is
growing.
“However,
it is very reassuring to see that the regulatory agencies in those countries
have continued to emphasise that the vaccine is safe and that the incidents of
blood clotting reported in the patients are not higher than the risk of blood
clotting in people who are not vaccinated. So, it is something really reassuring.
“It
is also heartwarming to see that the WHO has again issued statements – over
the last few days, the WHO has been bringing out statements regarding the
safety and efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. It is therefore
important that we take this information seriously and that we use it as a guide
towards the implementation of our programmes.”
The Incident Manager noted that Nigeria’s health sector, especially
the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control and National Health Care Development Agency, was
“working not only to reassure Nigerians but also to make a determination to
continue to get information regarding any side effects that people are
experiencing in this country.”
He added, “So, with this, I will say that the available
information from the clinical trials has shown that the vaccine is generally
safe and efficacious and that it has an
efficacy of about 70 per cent. The side effects are usually mild, which include
fever, cough, and cold. Any symptoms that have persisted more than 24 hours
should be reported through the right channel at the state level, through the
PHCDA and the state case managers.”
The
PTF warned Nigerians against capitalising on the arrival of the vaccine in the
country to flout the laid-down COVID-19 protocols, which include the use of
face masks, observance of physical distancing at public events.
The
taskforce also urged state governments to intensify efforts at enforcement of
health regulations signed by the President “until we reach a certain point
where we are comfortable with the level of immunity in the country.”
Muhammad
said, “It is sad to note that some people of very high positions, particularly
some political and religious leaders, have used this opportunity to provide
misinformation to the public regarding the response and the efficacy of the
vaccine.
“We
urge them to please contact the relevant experts in the field before they make
these pronouncements. Any pronouncement by a responsible political or religious
leader to a gathering should be based on science and facts, and not just what
they feel at that moment.”
Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Holland pause
AstraZeneca vaccine rollout
As
the PTF advised Nigerians, Spain, Germany, France, Holand and Italy on
Monday were the latest European countries to temporarily suspend the rollout of
the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
According
to the CNN, the countries suspended the rollout of the vaccine over a small
number of blood clot concerns, going against the advice of international
medical agencies as a third wave of infections loom over the continent.
Spain’s
health minister, Carolina Darias, announced in a nationally televised news
conference Monday that the country would stop using the vaccine for two weeks.
She
said, “It is a temporary and precautionary suspension until the risks can be
evaluated by the European Medicines Agency.”
Similarly,
German health minister, Jens Spahn, on Monday said the country would pause
inoculations as a precaution, following reports of a handful of cases of blood
clots in people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot in Denmark and Norway.
France
and Italy also halted their rollouts of the vaccine on Monday, pending review
by the EU’s medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency.
French
President, Emmanuel Macron, said, “We have decided to suspend the use of
AstraZeneca as a precautionary measure and are hoping to resume it quickly if
the EMA’s advice allows it.”
The Dutch
government said its suspension, which will last until at least 29 March, was a
precaution.
Also
on Monday, the Federal Government cautioned Nigerians to be wary of the third
wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as being experienced in some countries.
The
government also told Nigerians to be careful of home-based care as there might
not be enough facilities and personnel to manage patients in times of
emergencies.
The
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, stated these
during a press conference of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
He
stated, “As of March 14 2021, our bed occupancy had reduced to 1.22 per cent
and active cases stand at 13,245. Unfortunately, Nigeria crossed 2,000
fatalities on March 12, 2021, and we have now recorded 2,013 deaths.
“The
PTF will like to caution Nigerians on home-based care as there may not be
enough facilities and personnel to manage patients in times of emergencies.
“It
is in this vein that concerted efforts have been made to ensure that oxygen is
available for patients in all the 46 facilities.”
He
acknowledged reports from all over the world in the last few days focusing on
the safety and side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine being currently rolled
out in Nigeria.
The
SGF, however, said that the Nigerian authorities had tested and authorised the
use of the vaccine, because it was safe and efficacious.
The
SGF said discussions with the KLM and Emirate Airlines were still ongoing on
the issue of pre-boarding testing for passengers, whose final destinations of
travel were their home bases.
According
to him, KLM resumed outbound flights from Lagos on March 15, 2021 without RDTs,
while a letter has been written to Emirates Airlines to suspend flights with
effect from the midnight of Wednesday, March 17, 2021.
Mustapha
said the arrival of vaccine had not in any way distracted the government from
pursuing the national response to COVID-19 as originally conceptualised, as
well as testing, detection, tracing, isolation and treatment.
He
stated, “For the avoidance of doubt, the virus is very potent and people still
get infected. It is also a fact that the vaccination process has only just
begun. It has been reported that some countries are recording a third wave of
cases.
“We
urge all Nigerians to recognise that we are not yet out of the woods.
Therefore, the PTF shall continue to emphasis and promote strict adherence to
the NPIs.”
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