The controversy over COVID-19 vaccines

The Nigerian Government is shopping for COVID-19 vaccines to meet the challenges of curbing the pandemic in the country. There are currently about five types of vaccines for COVID-19 from different research working groups that are available for use worldwide. The Pfizer –BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines were introduced in the second half of last year. Theirs was quickly followed by the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine. This year, Indian scientists produced their own environmentally-friendly version of the Oxford-Astra Zeneca’s vaccines which they called COVID shield vaccines. This is in addition to Chinese vaccine whose efficacy has been put at about 50 percent.

Peru recently suspended clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine made by the Chinese drug giant, Sinopharm, after detecting neurological problems in one of its test volunteers, the Peruvian government said in a statement. And because of challenges with some patients’ health all over the world, the government of right – wing President Jair Bolsonaro will not buy the vaccine made by China’s

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. This vaccine may likely be the first to complete late trials in Brazil.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the only two vaccines available for use in the United States. Even the world Health Organisation (WHO) has equally recommended the two drugs for use worldwide. And our presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 and the Federal Government have gone ahead to propose the Pfizer BioN-Tech vaccine for Nigerians.

However, the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention reported in early January this year that at least 21 people have had a severe allergic reaction after receiving their first dose of the vaccines. The reaction, called anaphylaxis, can reportedly be life – threatening and must be treated immediately with an emergency injection of epinephrine. In fact, California’s top epidemiologist affirmed that the Moderna vaccine caused a series of allergic reactions.

Medical Doctors in Norway are at present investigating the deaths of 23 elderly patients who had received the Pfizer/ BioN- Tech vaccine, and equally looking into the possibility that adverse reactions to the shot may have contributed to the fatal outcome in some frail patients. All deaths that occurred within the first dew days of vaccination are carefully assessed and submitted to the Norwegian Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) health registry. Sigurd Hortemo, Chief Physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, said: “We cannot rule out that adverse reactions to the Pfizer vaccination occurring within the first days following vaccination such as fever and nausea may contribute to more serious course and fatal outcome in patients with severe underlying disease.

While the Federal government have released N10 billion to support domestic vaccine production, it however looks forward to receiving the Pfizer vaccine as the vaccine is the one which will be allegedly distributed through the African Union, AU, mechanism. Already the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has mapped out deployment of these vaccines in phases to cover up to 70 percent of Nigerian’s Population. It has reportedly procured 2100 cubic ultra-cold chain facility in Abuja to hold the vaccines at the required temperature of minus 70/80 degrees Celsius.And boasted that the country has the capacity to store up to 400,000 doses of the expected COVID-19 vaccines.

The agency reportedly said that President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would be the first to get shots of the Pfizer vaccine whenever it lands on our shores as it looks forward to vaccinating at least 40 percent of Nigerian’s population by the end of 2021 and the remaining 30 percent by the end of 2022.

But experts are especially worried that Nigeria, like many African countries, doesn’t have the facilities for extreme cold – storage required for Pfizer vaccine. A renowned Medical Laboratory Scientist, Dr. Ifeanyi Casmir, reportedly said Nigeria is not in the temperate region and procuring Pfizer – BioN Tech COVID-19 vaccine that requires a 80 degrees centigrade storage and a 2 to 8 degrees five days shelve life of same would be a major drawback for the country’s goal of vaccinating her citizens.

Nigeria, like many other countries, has recorded a second wave of the pandemic with an average of 1,020 cases daily in the last few weeks. This has put pressure on the government to import the vaccines at all costs to curb further spread of the virus. In fact, Governor Sanwo- Olu of Lagos State after raising alarm over rising COVID-19 positive cases in the state, directed the medical workers to treat any malaria like symptoms by a patient as COVID-19.

However, doubting the authenticity of the COVID-19 vaccine the Federal Government is shopping for Nigerians; Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State in a rally of his people shared the worries of many Nigerians when he said that 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 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.

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”, the Governor said.

He had in his new year broadcast said “Kogi would not respond to the second wave of the virus with mass hysteria,” and advised the federal government to focus more on reviving the economy than shopping for COVID-19 vaccines. The cry for a home grown vaccine is getting louder everyday given the controversy over imported vaccines whose manufacturers are not eager to reveal details of their clinical trials until they are completed.

Okoro writes from Oba.