Nigerians have been advised to debunk several baseless rumours and myths about the available COVID-19 vaccines in the country as they are aimed at discouraging Nigerians from taking the vaccines.
Some of the myths, Dr Obasi Chikezie of the Community Health Department, Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Enugu said, include that the vaccines could modify one DNA, can make one become magnetic, not safe for pregnant and lactating mothers, affect menstrual circles.
Dr Okezie was speaking at a one-day media dialogue on COVID-19 vaccination, theories and uptake held in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, organized by UNICEF.
He said: “So, all the myth we have been hearing about the vaccine is not true and we want people to debunk it and we need to vaccinate ourselves to get this covid out of our way and continue the way the world was going before.
“It is unfortunate that we have such a low vaccine coverage in Africa. It is abysmal, it’s certainly not acceptable.
“Nigeria and Africa must brace up the challenge bearing in mind that Africa has often shouldered the brunt of ravaging or endemic diseases in the world, he said.
“We know Africa has been carrying the burden of diseases. When you think of infant and maternal mortality, it is higher in Africa. The infectious disease rate is higher in Africa, so the burden of disease has always been high for the continent.
According to Dr Okezie, whereas the United Arab Emirates and the developed world were doing over 70% vaccination and some clocking as much as 98% of vaccines coverage, Nigeria was struggling at less than 4% .
He therefore charged all key stakeholders to join forces, to debunk the rumours and myth so that people can take the vaccines adding that if the infection mutates and becomes an endemic issue in the world, Africa will bear the burden.
“Dr Chikezie said, said that the vaccination has actually helped in many places where the level of the ravaging COVID-19 was high before the introduction of vaccines; and, it has been effective in cutting down the rate with which the virus spreads.
He maintained that there was no record of the death of any person who has taken the vaccination in the country.
In her remarks, UNICEF Communications Officer, Enugu Field Office, Dr (Mrs) Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, charged the media to sensitize the populace on the need to take the vaccines and be Covid-19 protocol compliant.
She said the media dialogue was put in place to bring practitioners to meet medical experts as there were certain issues around the pandemic the media needed to be abreast in order to report accurately on the subject especially to step up vaccination in Nigeria.
Good health always needed to curb this covid 19
baseless indeed
It seem complicated really