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Tag: vaccine

  • COVID-19 vaccine is a killer, says Gov. Yahaya Bello

    COVID-19 vaccine is a killer, says Gov. Yahaya Bello

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has condemned the use of COVID-19 vaccine, while describing it as a killer.

    Mr Bello, whose supporters are urging to vie for the presidential seat in 2023, has been pushing a conspiracy theory about COVID-19 since last year.

    In a viral video, the Kogi governor condemned the use of the vaccine, saying it is meant to kill people.

    Speaking while addressing a crowd, Bello doubted the authenticity of the vaccine, saying there is no cure for HIV and many other diseases troubling mankind.

    “Vaccines are being produced in less than one year of COVID-19. There is no vaccine yet for HIV, malaria, cancer, headache and for several other diseases that are killing us. They want to use the (COVID-19) vaccines to introduce the disease that will kill you and us. God forbid,” he said.

    “We should draw our minds back to what happened in Kano during the Pfizer polio vaccines that crippled and killed our children. We have learned our lessons.

    “If they say they are taking the vaccines in the public allow them take their vaccines. Don’t say I said you should not take it but if you want to take it open your eyes before you take the vaccines.”

    In his New Year broadcast, Bello said Kogi would not respond to the second wave of the virus with “mass hysteria”.

    COVID-19 vaccines are not expected in Nigeria until the end of January.

  • How we will monitor COVID-19 vaccine distribution – NAFDAC

    How we will monitor COVID-19 vaccine distribution – NAFDAC

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has revealed the technology to be used in monitoring the distribution of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines when finally available in Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General of the agency made the revelation in a statement on Friday, stressing that NAFDAC was yet to approve any COVID-19 vaccines for use in the country.

    She said the goal of monitoring COVID-19 vaccines is to prevent fake vaccines from infiltrating the supply chain and to ensure there is no diversion, and that the effort will create a reliable and predictable supply chain.

    She stated that the agency had not received any application from vaccine manufacturers “and therefore, no vaccine had been approved by NAFDAC.

    “There are reports of fake vaccines in Nigeria; NAFDAC is pleading with the public to beware. COVID-19 vaccines are new, and the side effects must be monitored.

    “No COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by NAFDAC. Fake vaccines can cause COVID-like illnesses or other serious diseases that can kill.’’

    The director general, who restated the commitment of the agency toward guaranteeing drugs security, warned companies and corporate bodies against unapproved ordering of vaccines, noting that genuine manufacturing companies had to submit applications to NAFDAC first.

    “No government establishment or agencies should order for COVID-19 vaccines without confirming from NAFDAC.

    “However, NAFDAC is discussing with manufacturers of candidate COVID-19 vaccines concerning potential Emergency Use Authourisation (EUA), registration or licencing of their products as the case may be.”

    Adeyeye, however, assured applicants of NAFDAC’s determination to approve vaccines for emergency use if phase three clinical data were convincing and robust with regards to safety and efficacy, and the vaccine had been submitted for World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency use listing.

    She emphasised the commitment of NAFDAC in using “Reliance” or “Recognition” to expedite Emergency Use Authourisation (EUA) for vaccines already approved by mature regulatory authorities.

    “The full dossiers submitted by manufacturer or Market Authourisation Holder (MAH) will be thoroughly reviewed by the Vaccine Committee that is made up of multiple directorates in the agency.”

    The NAFDAC boss, who said that the agency would welcome the application for Emergency Use Authorisation in Nigeria, however, reiterated readiness to examine the safety of any vaccine.

    She affirmed the collaboration of NAFDAC with sister agencies as National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), UNICEF, WHO and Ministry of Health, aimed at achieving holistic approach for effective immunisation and delivery.

    “NAFDAC plans to also use Traceability with GS1 Technology to monitor vaccine distribution, using Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).

    “The goal is to prevent fake vaccines from infiltrating the supply chain and to ensure there is no diversion.

    “This effort will create a reliable and predictable supply chain. The multi-stakeholder technical working group has been meeting to address different issues from access to distribution to traceability to monitoring of adverse events following immunisation.

    “NAFDAC is also a member of Regulators Steering Committee of African Union -3S (Smart, Safety, Surveillance) with Ghana, South Africa and Ethiopia, collaborating with UK Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with funding from Bill and Melinda gates Foundation.

    Adeyeye explained that the aim of the continental collaboration was to use COVID-19 vaccines distribution and immunisation as pilot to actively monitor the distribution, delivery and monitoring of Adverse Effects Following Immunisation at the continental level, aimed at creating an African-based vigilance system for safety of medicines.

  • NAFDAC raises alarm to fake COVID-19 vaccine circulating in Nigeria

    NAFDAC raises alarm to fake COVID-19 vaccine circulating in Nigeria

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm to a fake Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine circulating in Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the agency warned Nigerians against the use of fake COVID-19 vaccines.

    The Director-General of the Agency, Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye gave the warning during a virtual press conference on Friday.

    Prof Adeyeye warned said the agency was yet to approve any vaccines or received any application from COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers.

    “COVID-19 vaccines are new, and the side effects or adverse events must be well monitored, therefore, if NAFDAC does not approve, the public should not use,” Adeyeye said.

  • FG announces distribution plan for COVID-19 vaccine

    FG announces distribution plan for COVID-19 vaccine

    The federal government has announced a distribution plan for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in the country.

    The announcement was made through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).

    According to NPHCDA, the rate of infection in each State of the federation would be the criterion used in the distribution.

    The agency revealed the plan alongside the publication of the latest infection rates for the disease by the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) on its verified website on Saturday.

    NCDC said it recorded 1, 585 new infections of the deadly Coronavirus with additional eight coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours.

    The centre stated that the country’s COVID-19 infections increased from 97,478 on Jan.8 to 99,063 on Saturday, indicating 1,585 new infections, and with eight additional COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours.

    Based on the rate of infection in the States, the distribution list of the COVID-19 vaccine indicated that Kano State will receive 3,557; Lagos, 3,131; Katsina, 2,361; Kaduna, 2,074; Bauchi, 1,900; Oyo, 1,848; Rivers, 1,766; Jigawa, 1,712; Niger, 1,558; Ogun, 1,473; Sokoto, 1,468; Benue, 1,423; Borno, 1,416; Anambra, 1,379; Zamfara, 1,336; and Delta, 1,306.

    Others were: Kebbi, 1,268; Imo, 1,267; Ondo, 1,228; Akwa Ibom, 1,161.Adamawa, 1,129; Edo, 1,104; Plateau, 1,089; Enugu, 1,088; Osun, 1,032; Kogi, 1,030; Cross River, 1,023; Abia, 955; Gombe, 908; Yobe, 842; Ekiti, 830; Taraba, 830; Kwara, 815; Ebonyi, 747; Bayelsa, 589; FCT, 695; Nasarawa, 661.

    The NPHCDA said that though all of the states were getting less than 4,000 vaccines from the first batch, the federal government had advised that frontline workers, like those in the health and security sectors, be given priority, as well as the elderly.

    The agency said that the vaccine, expected to be administered in January and February, would be done in compliance with WHO standards.

    The government was targeting administering the vaccine on 40 per cent of Nigerians during the first batch this year, the agency said, pointing out that 30 per cent were expected to be done in 2022.

    The agency also said the federal government was also sourcing for vaccines from other countries like Russia.

    Meanwhile, NCDC’s data had indicated that a total of 865 patients had recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres in the country.

    “Our discharges today include 419 community recoveries in Lagos State, 123 community recoveries in Gombe State and 117 community recoveries in Plateau State managed in line with guidelines,” It said.

    NCDC said that the new infections it recorded on Saturday were reported from 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory. saying that Lagos State still recorded the highest figure of the day with 573 infections.

    Others were: FCT-182, Plateau-162, Gombe-81, Oyo-75, Rivers-68, Sokoto-58, Ondo-55, Ogun-42, Nasarawa-40, Akwa Ibom-36, Edo-31, Kaduna-27, Anambra-22, Delta-19, Kano-17, Osun-17, Ebonyi-16, Katsina-14, Niger-14, Bayelsa-nine, Ekiti-eight, Borno-seven Jigawa-five, Abia-four and Bauchi-three.

    The NCDC also revealed that it had conducted no fewer than 1,018,061 tests since the first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic was announced in the country, while a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate national response activities across the country.

  • FG secures first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for health workers

    FG secures first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for health workers

    The federal government has secured the first batch of 100,000 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines for frontline healthcare workers in Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) made this known on Friday.

    Dr Shuaib said the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are expected in the country by the end of January, 2021.

    He also said millions of other doses that will cover 20% of the Nigerian population will come in March.

    Speaking live on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Good Morning Nigeria show, the ED of the NPHCDA also said the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will, irrespective of other foreign certifications, carry out due diligence and certify the vaccines good enough before they would be used.

    “100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are expected in the country by the end of January, 2021.

    “We are prioritising our health workers. When the vaccine arrives, 100,000 will go to the front line workers.

    “The first batch of 100,000 will be here in January. Millions of other doses that will cover 20% of the population will come in March.

    “Our focus is to get vaccines that our cold chain can manage. We have the ultra cold chain to keep them potent.

    “We have invested in cold chain equipments. We are aware the Covac Facility will bring additional vaccines that will work more in our environment.

    “We are also generating a more comprehensive database of such workers. There is a comprehensive deployment plan. We are identifying priorities especially those that work directly with patients and we have a list of these individuals that work across the country.

    “For us in the health sector, we must put in the effort and push the drive for vaccine. We must also listen to people and empathise with their concerns with continuous sensitization.

    “We are working with a regulatory agency — NAFDAC, irrespective of other foreign certification of the vaccine. There must be due diligence.

    “When the vaccines come, NAFDAC has to go through the assessment and processes to certify it good enough for Nigerians.

    “The leadership of NAFDAC is very important. They will work with WHO to certify the vaccines. We have competent Nigerians that can do the job,” Dr Shuaib said.

    Meanwhile, in a bid to encourage Nigerians to get inoculated, the ED had said President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will receive their COVID-19 vaccine doses on live television.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha will also receive the vaccine on live telecast in a move the government hopes will help drive awareness.

  • NPHCDA reveals those to first receive COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria

    NPHCDA reveals those to first receive COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria

    The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has revealed those that will first receive Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine when it is available in the country.

    The Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Shuaib revealed that Nigeria will first inoculate frontline health workers, first responders, national leaders, people vulnerable to coronavirus and the elderly.

    He went further to say that the vaccine would be gotten through the global COVAX scheme and that 42 million doses of it would soon be gotten to cover one fifth of Nigeria’s population.

    He also said that the initial doses would come as part of Nigeria’s plan to inoculate 40 per cent of the population in 2021.

    “The COVAX scheme was set up to provide vaccines to poorer countries such as Nigeria, whose 200 million people and poor infrastructure pose a daunting challenge to medical officials rolling out the vaccinations, as the West African country battles a second, larger spike in coronavirus cases.

    “Nigeria, where officials recorded low coronavirus numbers through much of 2020, had 1,204 new cases on Monday, its highest ever, as total confirmed cases edge closer to 100,000.

    “Nigeria will first inoculate frontline health workers, first responders, national leaders, people vulnerable to coronavirus and the elderly,“ he said.

    He said that Nigeria must educate its citizens on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.

    “We fear what we don’t understand,” he noted.

  • Nigeria engages China on COVID-19 vaccine

    Nigeria engages China on COVID-19 vaccine

    The Federal Government says it has opened talks with the Peoples Republic of China to have access to COVID-19 vaccines for Nigeria.

    Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffery Onyeama, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing newsmen shortly after a bilateral meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.

    Yi is in Nigeria on a working visit.

    Onyeama recalled that China was of immense assistance to Nigeria at the advent of the pandemic, noting that the donation of protective equipment greatly affected the nation in the fight against COVID-19.

    The minister said that at this point when countries were discovering vaccines and China being one of them, Nigeria was engaging the country in the area of access to the vaccine.

    “We have received a lot of support from China in the area of personal protective equipment that they were very quick to provide us with and of course, with the vaccine discoveries now,

    “China is also one of those countries that have been able to discover vaccines for COVID-19, so we are also engaging with China to also help with regards to access to vaccines for our people,” he said.

    According to Onyeama, the relationship between both countries has dated 50 years, adding that both countries have many areas of cooperation to celebrate.

    “We also realised that in 2021, we would be celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Peoples Republic of China,” he said.

    Giving insights into some of the deliberations during the closed door meeting, Onyeama said that he and his counterpart looked at the trade relations between the two countries and areas that could be improved.

    He said that they also discussed health issues and the global pandemic.

    “In the area of fostering relations, both countries are now considering having a direct flight from Nigeria to China.

    “We want to establish direct air link with China. We hope that very soon, a Nigerian carrier would be carrying out scheduled flights to China in the not too distant future,” he said.

  • BREAKING: UK kickstarts inoculation of citizens with Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

    BREAKING: UK kickstarts inoculation of citizens with Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

    An 82-year-old man has become the first person in the world to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.

    The UK government believes the development could be “a pivotal moment” in fighting coronavirus.

    The UK began vaccinating citizens with the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus jab amid a surge in cases.

    According to a DW report on Monday, Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, was the first person to receive the vaccine at a hospital a few hundred metres away from where it was developed.

    “I am so pleased to be getting the vaccine today and I’m really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford,” he said. “The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year.”

    A ‘pivotal’ moment

    As many as half a million doses are ready to be administered over the next 24 hours, the British government said.

    The vaccine costs just 3 pounds ($4.10, €3.35) per shot.

    It also can be stored in regular refrigerators, making it easier for GPs and healthcare workers to distribute.

    British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in an interview with broadcaster Sky News on Monday that it was “a triumph for British science” and “a pivotal moment” in fighting COVID-19.

    Germany’s BioNTech, along with its US partner Pfizer, was the first company in the world to develop an effective vaccine against the virus.

    But it is five times more expensive and must be kept at -70 degrees Celsius (-112°F).

    Hundreds of thousands of Britons have already had their first shot of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine.

    England lockdown calls mount

    On Sunday, the UK recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections for the sixth day running.

    Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to impose a third nationwide lockdown in England to curb the rise in cases.

    The UK has seen an uptick in infections after authorities announced they had discovered a new variant of the virusthat appears to be more contagious.

    “It is a very difficult situation in terms of the growth of the virus,” Hancock said.

    Asked whether the government was considering imposing a new national lockdown, he answered: “We don’t rule anything out.”

    The other parts of the United Kingdom are responsible for their own health policies.

    Northern Ireland and Wales are already under lockdown. The Scottish government is currently reviewing what to do next.

     

    Source: DW

  • Finland confirms first adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccine

    Finland confirms first adverse reaction to COVID-19 vaccine

    The Finnish Medicines Agency says it has received the first report of an adverse reaction to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against coronavirus.

    This is coming one week after Europe started its mass immunisation campaign.

    The Finnish YLE broadcaster reported on Saturday, quoting the agency’s Chief Physician, Maija Kaukonen, as saying, “when there are at least five such reports, we will put information on our website about the type of reactions that have occurred’’.

    Kaukonen told the broadcaster that no further details could be disclosed due to patient confidentiality.

    At the same time, Kaukonen noted that reports of allergic or adverse reactions were likely to increase.

    The EU member states launched the bloc-wide vaccination programme on Dec. 27, 2020.

    This is a day after member states began receiving their first shipments of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine following the European Commission’s authorisation.

    So far, COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to healthcare workers in Finland’s five largest hospital districts of Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Kuopio and Oulu, according to YLE.

  • U.S. nurse tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving vaccine

    U.S. nurse tests positive for COVID-19 after receiving vaccine

    An ICU nurse in San Diego, who had received Pfizer Inc. vaccine’s shot against COVID-19 on December 18, has tested positive for the virus.

    Matthew W, a 45-year-old nurse in San Diego, told ABC News San Diego affiliate KGTV that after receiving the vaccine he had only experienced arm soreness as a side-effect of the vaccine.

    However, six days later after working a shift in the COVID-19 unit, he said he had chills, muscle pain and fatigue.

    A coronavirus test confirmed him positive for COVID-19, he said.

    Following this incident, Dr Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist with the Family Health Centre of San Diego, told KGTV that this was not unexpected.

    “We know from the vaccine clinical trials that it is going to take about 10 to 14 days for you to start to develop protection from the vaccine.

    “That first dose we think gives you somewhere around 50 per cent and you need that second dose to get up to 95 per cent,” Ramers further explained.

    There is another possibility that the nurse likely contracted COVID-19 before the vaccination but did not rule out the opposite, the expert added.