By Iyemah David
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, said the COVID-19 vaccine trains the immune system to create antibodies.
He told Health Reporters on Tuesday in Abuja, that the COVID-19 vaccines helped the immune system to make antibodies which serve as proteins that fight off infections and diseases.
“If you get vaccinated and then come in contact with the particular bacteria or virus that causes the disease of which you are vaccinated against, your immune system will recognise it and will offer you some level of protection by producing the right antibodies.
“The COVID-19 vaccination offers partial protection within two weeks of the first dose. This is why it is recommended that all doses of the vaccine are taken for longer-term protection against the virus,” he said.
According to the NPHCDA boss, the spike protein on the COVID-19 vaccine allows it to enter the human cells, which helps the body make antibodies that recognise this spike protein in the virus and fight it off.
“This means that if you choose to take a vaccine, you are less likely to get severely sick if you encounter the virus,” he said.
According to him, it is safer to gain protection against the disease by taking the COVID-19 vaccine because the vaccines do not contain a live virus and cannot cause disease.
The NPHCDA boss said that choosing to get the COVID-19 vaccine was good for all eligible Nigerians and their loved ones.
According to him, as more eligible Nigerians take the vaccine, fewer people would become sick and there would be reduction in the progression of the disease.
He said that this would help to protect everyone in the community who cannot take a vaccine, like children and other vulnerable people.
“This is called herd immunity or herd protection,” he said.
He said that, as with all vaccines, some side effects might occur after the COVID-19 vaccine.
He said that the COVID-19 vaccine was free, safe and effective, adding that the country had four brands of COVID-19 vaccines received from the COVAX Facility and the African Union.
“They are AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines,” he said.
He said that the vaccine neither affected one’s fertility nor altered the DNA.
Shuaib said that the agency had implemented strategies aimed at ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines reached the last far-flung places.
He said that, to ensure the actualisation of the agency’s strategies, the COVID-19 vaccination programme was leveraging on the PHC revitalisation objectives.
“The current approach for delivery of COVID-19 vaccines known as optimised SCALES 2.0 strategy, entails the integration of COVID-19 Vaccines with PHC services.
“This means that parents and caregivers with children or wards aged zero to two years are encouraged to bring their children along to the COVID-19 vaccination site where childhood vaccines are available.
“While the adult receives COVID-19 vaccines, the children are assessed and are given the required antigens. This makes the vaccination exercise more family friendly.
“We believe this will further motivate eligible persons, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to visit the nearest PHC to inquire about the immunisation schedule.
He, however, urged Health care workers to provide accurate information about the benefits of immunisation and immunisation schedule to parents and caregivers.
