NGO, Medical expert assure of safety of COVID-19 vaccines

By Friday Idachaba

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Lugard Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative (LYDEI) along with medical experts, have assured of the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines being administered to control the pandemic.

The Organisation disclosed this at a one-day Capacity Building for Social Media Influencers to promote COVID-19 vaccination in Kogi, on Thursday in Lokoja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by LYDEI in partnership with Centre for Information Technology And Development (CITAD) and support from MacArthur Foundation.

The NGO said the declaration had become necessary in view of the doubts trailing the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines by a sizeable population of Nigerians.

Dr Ahmed Attah, former Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja in his paper themed: “COVID-19 Vaccination: Issues, Challenges and Prospects” at the workshop doused the fears of toxicity of the vaccines.

He said that the vaccines were not poisonous as their production has globally accepted recommended processes, procedures and standard that are properly documented.

Attah stressed that the COVID-19 vaccines were being monitored by highly respected agencies like the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF as regulating bodies to ensure safety and effectiveness for asministration.

He added that records had shown that Kogi State so far, has five established cases of COVID-19, he noted that the two deaths were recorded while the rest three recovered.

Attah hinted that Kogi was already working with WHO and organised NGOs to commence mass vaccination of Its citizens.

Comrade Oseni Aminu Okwutepa, Executive Director LYDEI, in his opening remarks said COVID-19 outbreak remained the worst pandemic that the global community has witnessed in very recent years.

Okwutepa therefore, reiterated the need for the people of the state to be properly educated on the importance of the vaccination to vitiate the devastation and make the global disease innocuous.

He stated that the body was out to implement Public Education on the COVID-19 vaccine project in Kogi State through educating and enlightening the public on the role and relevance of the vaccines.

“The project is being implemented by CITAD with 18 partners across six Northern states including Bauchi, Borno, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau and Kogi.

“We are one of the partners implementing the project in Kogi”, he said.

The executive Director noted that the organisation picked on the Social Media Influencers for the training because of the strategic role the New Media plays in promoting the vaccine uptake globally.

NAN reports that the workshop also featured a presentation on, “Countering Misinformation and Fake News on COVID-19”