•As NSSF, NPHCDA lead campaign for 70% vaccination coverage

By Chioma Obinna

The World Health Organisation, WHO, recently warned countries with a low number of vaccinated people like Nigeria to be on guard as the increase has led to unacceptably high mortality.

Unfortunately, one year after Nigeria rolled out COVID-19 vaccination, the country has only partially vaccinated 20,157,050 (16.4 percent) eligible persons out of its 200 million population  as of 19th March 2022 and fully vaccinated 10.925,624 (9.8 percent)  of eligible persons, according to data obtained from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA.

Vaccination remains the ultimate step towards reducing severe illness from the pandemic as well as saving lives of affected persons.  But in Nigeria and some other African countries, vaccination has remained low due to vaccine hesitancy, non-compliance, lack of confidence in vaccine and inequalities in the distribution of the vaccines.

But the Nigerian Centre for Disease and Control, NCDC, has maintained that clinical trials and surveillance have shown the crucial need for COVID-19 vaccination in preventing deaths even as health professionals have raised concerns on the role of vaccine confidence.  They believe that vaccines work, are safe and are part of a trustworthy medical system.

Nigeria and most African countries failed to meet the 40 percent vaccination target for December 2021.  Health experts also fear that judging from the number of fully vaccinated person put at 9.8 per cent (10.925,624) as of 19 March 2022, the country is off track to achieve the 70 percent target for June 2022 if drastic action are not taken.

Efforts towards coverage of 70% vaccination

However, as part of the universal call for coordinated activity at the global, regional, national, and local levels, the NPHCDA in partnership with the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund, NSSF, are leading campaigns in vaccine confidence and the vaccination of 70 per cent of the country’s population.

Recently, in a bid to address concerns over vaccine safety, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine confidence and non-compliance by some Nigerians, the NPHCDA and NSSF, held a virtual roundtable discussion entitled: “Vaccine Confidence in Nigeria.”

In the views of the Vice-Chairman, NSSF, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede during the  roundtable with over 400 participants and more than 150 attendees: “This roundtable discussion puts us in right place, at the right time to accelerate the exchange of ideas and scaling-up of good practices to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.”

On his part, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, brought everyone up to speed on the successful campaign of the six-state vaccination drive and the partnership between NSSF and NPHCDA that impacted over 1.6 million Nigerians, with an important lesson on how vaccine hesitancy and non-compliance can delay the achievement of health targets.

He said: “The issue of vaccine hesitancy is something that is global but within the context of Nigeria, there are different issues driving this hesitancy. Tapping into global practices is going to be very critical for us as a country.” 

The event was also joined by a group of panellists which included policy experts, foundations, civil society organisations, community leaders and faith-based organisations. Among them were Prof Larson, Michael Fornwall of Merck For Mothers; Tijjani Mohammed, Advocacy and Communications – Nigeria; Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera, Emir of Argungu Camp, Chairman, Northern Traditional Leaders Committee NTLC); Bishop Sunday Onuoha (Nigerian Interfaith Action Association NIFAA) and  Peter Hawkins UNICEF Country Representative.

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One common theme among the panelists was the need for mind-collaboration while exploring the factors responsible for vaccine hesitancy and proffering context-specific solutions for vaccine education campaigns across the country.

On his part, the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at NPHCDA, Dr. Bassey Okposen, stressed the need for effective communication at the grassroots levels and providing information around why vaccines work.

For  him, it would help the goal of being able to exit the pandemic as they look forward to delivering COVID-19 vaccines to at least 70 per cent of the eligible population this year. 

“Whether there’s a pandemic or not, we will always continue to try to improve childhood immunisation by vaccinating children against vaccine-preventable diseases.

“In her response, the General Manager, NSSF, Dr. Fejiro Chinye-Nwoko said: “There is a need to integrate Covid-19 vaccinations into routine vaccinations for added benefits for Nigeria.”

“On vaccine inequity, even in Nigeria, when the vaccines come in, how are they distributed? That is where NSSF is supporting. We know that some states are less buoyant than others. So, those less buoyant states will not have the capacity and the resources to quickly deploy these vaccines and run vaccination campaigns at the ward level and local council level to make sure people get the vaccines. It may just be the state capital that has these vaccines. So, we are coming in there to ensure that there is equity internally.”

Need for Vaccine confidence.

Building  vaccine confidence

Representative of the COVID-19 New Vaccine Information, Communication, and Education, CONVINCE, Prof. Heidi Larson stated that the most important lesson in building vaccine confidence was to listen and understand, map the issues, and design the interventions to fit the needs of the people first.

Larson cited examples of how countries doused negative emotions about the vaccines and was able to build trust and uptake by leveraging emotions of hope and empathy

Representative of the Nigerian Interfaith Action Association, NIFAA, Bishop Sunday Onuoha said on building vaccine confidence within communities the government needs to mobilise religious leaders, as they are the key to encouraging communities to participate in the vaccination programmes.  “This seems to have worked in the past polio vaccine programme,”

Also, one of the panellists, from Merck More Than a Mother, Micheal Fornwall, said: “Building confidence in vaccination and creating resilient immunisation programmes requires a coordinated approach. It would require government, stakeholders and leadership commitment. Effective health systems, policies, and program coordination, supportive, positive community and individual experiences to drive confidence and demand in the country.

The NSSF is a private-sector led institution born out of a partnership between the Global Citizen (GC) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to complement efforts in combating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through fundraising to address three core COVID-19 response areas: supporting the most vulnerable, strengthening health care systems and re-skilling of Nigerian youth for The New Nigeria.

The Institution believes that everyone should have access to quality and affordable healthcare services when they need it, young Nigerians should be enabled with opportunities for self-empowerment and well-skilled for a post-COVID era and that the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised groups in Nigeria should not be left behind.

COVID-19 cases still raging

However, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, had warned that though there was a decline for several weeks currently reported cases of COVID-19 are once again increasing globally, especially in parts of Asia.

Adhanom Ghebreyesus while handing over the warning during the Member State Information Session on COVID-19 said even as other crises demand attention, all member states should remain focused on expanding vaccination to reach the shared target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the population of every country by middle of 2022, with a focus on health workers, older people and other vulnerable groups.

 He said the pandemic was not over, and it will not simply go away.

He disclosed that the increases are occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases seen are just the tip of the iceberg.

“We are also seeing unacceptably high levels of mortality in many countries, especially where vaccination levels are low among susceptible populations.  We continue to call on all Member States to remain vigilant.

Continue to vaccinate, test, sequence, provide early care for patients, and apply public health measures to protect health workers and the public. And we know that when cases increase, so do deaths,” he further warned.

He also pointed out that continued local outbreaks and surges are to be expected, particularly in areas where measures to prevent transmission have been lifted.   He added that there are unacceptably high levels of mortality in many countries, especially where vaccination levels are low among susceptible populations.

“Each country is facing a different situation with different challenges, but the pandemic is not over.  We call on all countries to remain vigilant. Continue to vaccinate, test, sequence, provide early care for patients, and apply common-sense public health measures to protect health workers and the public.

“We continue to call on everyone to be vaccinated where vaccines are available.  And we continue to work night and day to expand access to vaccines everywhere,” he added.