Nigeria says as at May 30, it has recorded over 10,000 cases of COVID-19 vaccine side effects – among the cases, 10,027 were mild, while 86 were of moderate to severe incidents.
“There have been cases of mild, moderate and severe Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) since we officially rolled out Covid-19 vaccination on March 15, 2021,” Executive Director of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, told journalists in Abuja.
He listed five states that recorded the highest cases as, Cross River (1,040), Kaduna (1,071), Lagos (796), Yobe (555), and Kebbi with 525 cases.
“The AEFIs symptoms ranged from pain and swelling at site of vaccination to more serious symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, fever, dizziness and allergic reactions. A total of 10,027 cases of mild AEFI have been reported as of May 30th, while 86 cases of moderate to severe incidents have been reported. All these individuals have since fully recovered,” he said.
Speaking on the second dose, Shuaib noted the possibility of some people relocating from the states where they took their first doses, stating that provision have been made for special vaccination sites that could accommodate administering their second doses.
“It is also possible that due to certain circumstances, some of the sites used for the first dose vaccination may no longer be available; in this case, you are kindly advised to go for your second dose at the nearest vaccination post. The list of the vaccination sites is available on our website (www.nphcda.gov.ng), which we will keep updating and will also be published accordingly,” he stated.
Shuaib said the upcoming allocation to Nigeria would likely be from July-September 2021.
He said Nigeria is holding bilateral talk with some countries to see how the country can access the surplus vaccines being stockpiled by some developed countries.
“On this, we are working closely with the Embassies and High Commissions in Nigeria. Our communication remains clear that the allocation of vaccines from friendly countries is most useful now, not later when vaccines become widely available,” he said.
