Buhari gets COVID-19 booster vaccine in Aso Villa

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, received the booster dose of the Pfizer Biotech vaccine administered by his Chief Personal Physician, Dr Suhayb Rafindadi.

Thereafter, the President’s vaccination card was signed by the Director-General of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Speaking on the significance, Dr Shuaib said President Buhari was leading by example, being one of the first to receive the booster shot, at the same time passing a message to Nigerians that the vaccines are safe for all and efficacious.

However, he appealed to Nigerians who are still entertaining doubt about the vaccines, pointing out that more than 8 million Nigerians had been vaccinated successfully and that vaccinated persons are not likely to die as speculated.

He explained that new developments have shown that COVID-19 is fast becoming the disease of the unvaccinated, adding that the country has acquired enough vaccines to cater for eligible Nigerians.

“The significance of the shot this morning is that the father of the nation is leading by example, as usual, he is among the first people that have taken the booster dose of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine. Again, to show, clearly, to all Nigerians that it is safe, it is efficacious, and now that over 8 million Nigerians have been vaccinated, here is another proof that this vaccine is safe and it’s a clarion call to all Nigerians to make themselves available to get the vaccine.

“The evidence is there, over 8 million Nigerians have taken the vaccines safely. They are well, they are going about their normal businesses and what we’re seeing from the data is that COVID-19 is now mostly a disease of the unvaccinated. Out of every 10 people that have died, the data shows that eight of them are unvaccinated. So, there’s a greater likelihood of dying from COVID-19 if you’re unvaccinated.

“What Mr. President has done today is again to indicate to all Nigerians that federal government does everything to make sure that only safe and efficacious vaccines are brought into Nigeria, and that when they are brought into Nigeria, we’ll double check to make sure that it fits the very high standards that have been set by NAFDAC.

“So, when you go to any health facility, when you go to any mass vaccination site, one thing that should be clear in your mind is that this vaccine that is going into your body is safe and is going to protect you against severe forms of COVID-19. It will also protect you from dying from COVID-19. That is the assurance that we’re giving Nigerians.

“The other thing that we are also telling Nigerians is that when you take the vaccine, you may feel some pain at the site of the vaccination, you may feel a little bit feverish, you may feel a little bit of body pains, but these are all the indications that the vaccine is working. These are mild symptoms compared to the symptoms you will feel if you were to contract the actual COVID-19.

“This is part of the technology that pretends that this is COVID-19, but in actual fact, it makes your body raise up armies that will now defeat the actual virus.

“So, please stop hesitating, stop having any doubts. It is a question of integrity for us that we do the right thing and we are showing, through leadership from Mr. President, the governors, the legislators that have come out openly to take these vaccines, that these vaccines are exactly what we need to be able to protect our health and then begin to build back our economy.”