From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Amidst speculations of adverse effect arising from COVID-19 vaccine administration, Federal Government disclosed, on Friday, that a total of 8,439 mild adverse events following COVID-19 vaccine administration have been reported.
Similarly, it disclosed that 52 cases of moderate to severe incidents of adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination have also been reported.
The cases presented as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness and allergic reactions, and five states, namely, Kaduna (970) Cross River (859), Yobe (541), Kebbi (511), and Lagos (448) have the highest records of the cases.
Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, confirmed to journalists at a press conference in Abuja, that no death has been recorded from the administration of the vaccine.
He said: “We have also not diagnosed any case of blood clots related to the administration of the vaccines. Nevertheless, we are working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and other relevant agencies to set up a more active surveillance system built on experience with polio surveillance.
“We have said from the start and I’ll say it again that we will only administer vaccines to Nigerians that are both safe and effective against COVID-19. We will continue to follow international best practices and the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other leading international regulatory bodies throughout this process.”
He confirmed that in the coming few weeks, NPHCDA, other stakeholders, in collaboration with the States, plan to engage more at the community levels across the country, by organizing zonal town hall meetings to facilitate the discussions around COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria.
He disclosed that the proposed date and venue for the zonal town hall meetings will be communicated to the relevant persons and organizations.