Low enthusiasm in Niger State as residents shun vaccination’

Health workers in Plateau embrace vaccine, while others develop conspiracy theories about COVID-19


Vaccine receives wide acceptance from Bauchi elite

Gov Ishaku moves to build confidence in Taraba

Internet failure causes hiccups in Adamawa

By Wole Mosadomi, Minna, Umar Yusuf, Yola, Marie-Therse-Nanlong, Jos, Charly Agwam, Bauchi, & Femi Bolaji, Jalingo

BARELY two weeks after the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines to the states in the North, there have been mixed reactions by the people of the region to the inoculation.

While many residents, particularly the elite, have embraced the vaccine as a prophylactic, others display an indifferent attitude towards it.

This comes as the respective state governments in the North have taken various measures to ensure that the citizens avail themselves of the vaccine in order to stay alive.

In Minna, the Niger State capital, Arewa Voice Correspondent reports of low excitement among the people of the state in response to the vaccine. Our correspondent says that although some of the residents believe that the pandemic is real, others feel otherwise, claiming that COVID-19 only affects ‘big government people’ and has nothing to do with peasants.

The feeling must have been accentuated by the way the vaccine has been administered from the top to the bottom and not based on urgent need to give to the most vulnerable among the populace. In the state, like all others around the country, the vaccine has been prioritised for those considered influential like the governors, first class traditional rulers and the clergy as well as top politicians as well as frontline workers. But beyond the hierarchical template being used to distribute the vaccine, many of the residents harbour the fear that it might be harmful to them.

Statistics shows that only about 200 people have so far been vaccinated in Niger State as part of the ongoing vaccine monitoring by the “Advance Effect Following Immunisation, AEFI and Advance Effect of Special Interest, AESI” evaluation established to monitor suspicion or any adverse reaction of the vaccine on those that have already taken the jab.

Those vaccinated so far in the state include the governor, members of the State Executive Council, wife of the governor and officials of the First Lady Office, members of the Government House protocol and press crew, permanent secretaries, head of agencies and government departments. Also vaccinated in the state so far are officials and managers of COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine centres, the State Primary Healthcare frontline workers, local government directors of PHCs and core chain officers who are the monitors of the vaccine programme.

In Jos, residents of Plateau State across social status and religion received the news of the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines with mixed feelings. While some, like Naomi Dapar, a medical personnel, saw it as a timely intervention, others like Emmanuel Sunday, a teacher, said it was a misplaced priority because the disease is “just like normal catarrh”.

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It will be recalled that Plateau State took delivery of 105,600 doses of the vaccine last week and Arewa Voice observed that as at the time of this report, only a mere 1,500 persons have taken the vaccine. This is even as the state government continues to create awareness so that more people can take the jab. However, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nimkong Ndam, who had taken the vaccine and insisted he had no negative reactions, said different organisations were asking for the vaccine to be administered on their staff.

“At the Government House Clinic, those working with politicians, the aides, are collecting; the media people who are frontline are supposed to take, but I think only one or two have come forward so far,” the commissioner said. But he expressed optimism that more people would avail themselves of the opportunity to vaccinate against the pandemic.

“There is no scepticism about the vaccine. It is a matter of time; people who are supposed to take it will all take it.” But for Mr. Sunday, the school teacher: “Except it is by force, I will not take the vaccine because I don’t see any reality in this thing. The disease is not killing like that, except you have an underlying health challenges; it is just like normal catarrh. If they make it optional, I will not take it but if we are forced, then it means it is 666 that we have been talking about.”

But the situation is a slightly different in Bauchi State, where Arewa Voice correspondent says the AztraZenica COVID-19 vaccine has relatively received wide acceptance in the state, especially among the elite class and senior citizens in the age group of 50 years and above.

Governor Bala Mohammed is said to have made it clear when he took the jab, that the administration of the vaccines would focus on target groups such as frontline health workers and healthcare staff, older men and women, politicians and traditional rulers for advocacy purpose.

Although there is no available data to show the number of people who have received the vaccine in the state, it was gathered that over 60 percent of the 80,000 doses supplied to the state had been administered to willing volunteers, especially frontline health workers.

But in Adamawa State, the frequent breakdown of the internet facilities being used by health workers to administer the vaccine has posed serious setback to the vaccination of the residents. “We’ve been finding it extremely difficult in the e-registration before administering the vaccines. The process has put us on the crossroads as we are making frantic efforts to overcome it”, the Assistant Director with the Adamawa State Primary Health Development Agency, Mohammed Salihu, said.

Mohammed, who is leading a team of medical personnel to oversee the exercise, told Arewa Voice that as at March 23, the state had only vaccinated 18,348 people against the pandemic. He said those vaccinated comprise frontline workers, top government officials, the clergy and Muslim council members, among others.

He disclosed that the medical teams were leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the vaccination exercise meets its target. “Day in day out, we continue to receive more people turning up for the exercise even as our network problem continues to improve,” the team leader disclosed. “Many of the people are excited and willing to have the vaccine as they continue to troop to our centres, but our main challenge remains the e-registration, which takes hours to do owing to poor network, ” he lamented. Mohammed was, however, optimistic that the challenges would be overcome soonest as the team continued to intensify and mobilise the populace on the need for them to turn out for the vaccination.

In Taraba State, the vaccination was formally rolled out last Monday with the state Governor, Darius Ishaku, leading the campaign to draw out people to take the jab. While the governor and some others have availed themselves of the vaccination, some residents of the state are still apprehensive and reluctant in making themselves available for vaccination.

Arewa Voice gathered that most people have not even accessed the e-registration portal launched by the Federal Government for registration. Some residents of the state, who spoke to Arewa Voice, said they could not be forced to take the vaccine. According to Cosmos Johnson: “As an individual, I won’t take the vaccine. Although there are claims that the vaccine is safe but I am not convinced yet. Politicians are clamouring for us to take this vaccine, but I think they should be the ones to take it first. Probably after three years when our politicians have lived with it, we can then start taking it; but for now, I won’t go for the vaccine.”

According to Dr. Alfred Kobiba: “I am aware of the numerous scepticisms about the COVID-19 vaccine, and I have read many articles online of people campaigning against it. I have also read the information about the efficacy and advantage of the vaccine and having carefully assessed the scientific information on both sides, I have concluded that having a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer route from rejecting it and that is why I have received the vaccine.”

Also, Executive Secretary of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, Aminu Jauro, said myths and misconceptions about vaccines have been in existence from time immemorial. “It is an understatement for people to castigate the vaccine but I want to believe it is just an international and national conspiracy. This was exactly what happened when we started the vaccine roll-out for polio and today it is history.

We are currently among the nations that have been certified polio-free; so I want to believe that these myths and misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine presently flying around would shortly be a thing of the past.”

Also, Governor Ishaku, who received his first jab of the vaccine on Monday, declared that the vaccine was safe for all. He said: “Indeed, today will remain significant in the lives of our people as we join other states and countries of the world to commence the vaccination of our people. Studies have shown that it has a positive effect in reducing the spread of the disease and mortality rate due to the vaccine production.

”Given this, I call on everyone to join hands with the state government to achieve a smooth and seamless implementation of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. I am not unaware of the several misconceptions around the introduction of vaccines among our people due to negative propaganda alleging that the vaccine is not safe. I will like to assure all of you that the vaccine is safe for use and that is why I have been vaccinated”

”I will, therefore, call on our traditional and religious leaders to sensitise our people because COVID-19 is a deadly virus, particularly when it is taken for granted. It is better to be healthy and safe, than to gamble. You will think that someone will be foolish to prevent himself, but it is when you get to managing the corona virus, having contracted it, that you will realise the danger you have exposed yourself to”.

Vanguard News Nigeria