The Commissioner for Health in Osun State, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, has debunked rumours making the rounds that the COVID-19 vaccines that the Federal Government will start distributing today is a ploy to make Nigerians sterile in order to control the population.
He said that Osun state is prepared to receive the vaccines as cold chains for storing them is in good condition and has been available in the state for the past three months.
He also maintained that notwithstanding the availability of the COVID-19 vaccines in the state, continual testing and isolation of infected persons is the best way to go in reducing community transmission.
Dr. Isamotu who made this comments Monday morning on Frank Talk, a radio current affair programme in Osogbo stated that the citizens should not be afraid because the vaccines had no negative side effects that will impact negatively in the body system.
He revealed that despite the fact that there is no particular date for vaccination to start in Osun, the vaccines’ distribution nationally will start today and training of health workers will precede the administration of the vaccines in the state.
The Commissioner disclosed that the vaccines will be administered in two jabs, the second coming after about three months interval from the first.
While also stressing on the importance of the COVID-19 vaccination, Professor Peter Olaitan, the Chief Medical Director of UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital and COVID-19 Incident Manager in the State disclosed that isolation centres for management of cases have been established at the State Hospital, Asubiaro and Mercyland Hospital both in Osogbo, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife and State Hospital, Ejigbo.
Speaking on the programme, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr. Oluwole Fabiyi revealed that Osun has 332 solar freezers making it one per ward.
He also revealed that since about forty thousand AstraZeneca vaccine doses will be coming to the state, administration of the COVID-19 vaccination will be done in four phases.
“The first phase will be for frontline and health workers. The second phase will be for the elderly and those that are morbidly ill and the last phase for those that are 15 years and above.
“For now, research has not shown that it can be administered on children. So it is for 15 years and above,” he added.
He also maintained that even with the vaccines, all COVID-19 guidelines were to be adhered to as the purpose of the vaccines is to suppress the virus and not to cure it.
Nigeria last week received 3.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and on Saturday, the President, Muhammadu Buhari and his vVce, Professor Yemi Osinbajo publicly received their own jabs of the vaccines.