The Federal Government on Thursday announced that it had commenced investigations on the complaints surrounding the safety of AstraZeneca vaccine to determine its side effects.
This is just as the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency disclosed that it has doused apprehensions about the safety of the vaccine.
Recall that nine countries on Thursday announced a temporarily halt to the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine amid reports of side effects.
Washington Post reported that the countries – Italy, Denmark, Norway, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg and Iceland – have recorded cases of patients developing post-jab blood clots.
However, the manufacturer and Europe’s medicines watchdog insisted the vaccine was safe.
According to NPHCDA Head of Public Relations Unit, Mohammed Ohitoto, the agency was awaiting the outcome of the investigations.
“We are aware of precautionary concerns that have been raised regarding one specific batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine, namely ABV5300.
“We understand that investigations are being conducted to determine if the batch is in any way linked to an observed side effect. While we await the outcome of the investigations, it is important to clearly state that Nigeria did not receive any doses from the batch of vaccines that has issue.
“Vaccinations in Nigeria started earlier this month and we have not observed any similar adverse reactions. All side effects reported by those who have been administered the vaccine have been mild.
“We are satisfied that the clinical evidence indicates the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be safe and effective. Our assessment is in line with countries such as Spain and the UK who have indicated that they will continue to administer the vaccine, because it remains an important tool to protect against COVID–19.”
In a related development, a professor of virology, Prof. Oyewale Tomori said the country had nothing to fear about the usage of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Tomori, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Thursday, said there was no need to compare Nigeria with the countries that had temporarily suspended the usage of the vaccine.
He stated, “Those countries temporarily suspended the usage of the vaccine, they are investigating. So, as a precautionary measure they suspended the usage.
“How many side effects have we recorded in Nigeria? We are talking of millions of people vaccinated in those countries. Nothing is clear about it yet.
“On the temporary stop in some European countries, I have no comments for now till investigations have been completed. The countries are only taking a precautionary measure till the investigation is complete,” Tomori said.
