Experts decry Abuja residents’ apathy in COVID-19 vaccination

Two months into the ongoing vaccination against COVID-19 in Abuja, some medical experts have decried what they observed as growing apathy amongst FCT residents in the exercise.

They say the development portends danger to the well-being of residents of the nation’s capital.

Available statistics, as of May 6, 2021, revealed that a total of 96,559 persons had successfully been vaccinated during the first round of the exercise that is expected to end on May 14.

Programme Officer, FCT Immunization Services, Mrs. Salome Tor, described the residents’ apathy in the vaccination as unfortunate.

Tor made the revelation at the weekend while presenting the FCT COVID-19 vaccine accountability profile to a one-day media orientation workshop in Abuja. The event was organised by the FCT Primary Healthcare Development Board.

She said that as of May 5, 2021, over 104,700 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were still at the FCT cold store. According to her, no death has been recorded from the disease in the last two months, but there were 47 mild and two severe cases of reaction to the vaccination in form of rashes.

The programme officer said persons from 18 years and above are eligible to take the vaccine.

“Teams of health workers have been deployed to the six area councils. All government hospitals in the FCT have selected location for this vaccination. We also have special teams who visit various organisations or special locations. We urge people to go and vaccinate before the exercise closes,” Tor said.

The Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Healthcare, Dr. Iwot Ndaeyo, cautioned that avoiding vaccination by residents poses danger to everyone in the territory.

Ndaeyo, however, noted that FCT administration is working towards ensuring that 80 per cent of people in all communities are vaccinated to enable them to have immunity over the virus.

“We need at least seven out of 10 people to be vaccinated to be able to withstand the SARS 2 virus of COVID-19. Avoidance of vaccination will become dangerous to FCT communities. We advise that people should get themselves vaccinated against COVID-19. We started this in FCT on March 15, we have not seen anybody with serious complaints about the vaccine in FCT. People should take this vaccine in the health facilities in the 62 wards of the FCT. The vaccines are safe,” Ndaeyo said.

World Health Organization (WHO) Consultant to FCT healthcare board, Abdulrasheed Jimoh, urged the media to help change the mind of the public about COVID-19 and the vaccine.