Innocent BenjaminOxford/AstraZeneca, the vaccine imported by the Nigerian government to combat the deadly corona virus, has been suspended in several European countries and authorities around the world.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has however allayed fears by recommending the continuous administration of the vaccines doses, as test carried out showed that “the vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks.”
Several cases of blood clot have been reported in patients, shortly after inoculation, which has driven previously under-bubbling trepidations to panic levels.
Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania had earlier banned inoculations with one particular batch of one million doses that was sent to 17 countries. This move was reciprocated by Denmark, Norway and Iceland who publicised their decisions to halt any vaccination pending comprehensive investigations.
The biggest casualty however has fallen within the borders of Italy, who have recorded at least three fatalities following vaccination in two regions.
On Thursday, Stefano Paterno, a 43-year-old navy officer, died after receiving his jab, while 50-year-old policeman Davide Villa fell sick 24 hours after his jab, with his subsequent death coming 11 days later, as he never recovered. This two fatalities occurred in Sicily, and resulted in the Federal Government of the European nation banning any inoculation from that batch, ABV2856.
To further compound the issue, over the weekend, Sandro Tognatti, a clarinet teacher from Biella died less than 24 hours after receiving his injection in the Candelo vaccination center. This lead to the suspension of vaccinations in the Piedmont region where the fatality occurred and citizens waiting to obtain their doeses on Sunday morning were dispatched, yet vaccination with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines continued.
“My husband believed in the vaccine and we must continue to believe in it,” said the wife of the deceased in diplomacy.
At first, the Piedmont Region had interrupted the entire vaccination campaign linked to AstraZeneca. But following first evaluations, it has decided to suspend the administration of the doses of only one lot, the one of which the Biella teacher received a dose. This lot is the batch, ABV5811.
“Pending the results of the findings to verify the possible link of cause, as a precaution, the commissioner of the juridical-administrative area of the Crisis Unit of the Piedmont Region, Antonio Rinaudo, immediately ordered the suspension throughout the regional territory of the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the necessary investigations on the lot involved“, read the official statement. The Region then summoned the Piedmontese Commission on drug-surveillance for the activation of all the procedures required by law.
“The councilor for health of the Piedmont Region, Luigi Genesio Icardi- is carrying out verification on whether there is a causal link between vaccination and death. To date, no particular criticality has ever been reported in Piedmont after the administration of vaccines.”
Are Nigerians At Risk ?
On Tuesday, March 2nd, the Nigerian government secured 3.92 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines and has since begun inoculation of its citizens. However, a large majority of the masses have revealed their paranoia on taking any vaccination.
In response, the Director-General of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, called for calm last week with assurances that the batch received by the country had be thoroughly accessed,
“When we got the dossier or the application package of the vaccine, we went through it line by line. But before we got the application itself, we went through other assessments. I am talking about their assessment report so that we are prepared and guided when we start our own and that was exactly what happened.
“We conclude based on quality, safety and efficacy because we have to depend on the report. This particular AstraZeneca vaccine, over 20,000 people were involved in phase three of the report,’’ she said.
In another statement, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) Executive Director Dr. Faisal Shuaib, further added that the country had documented no eports of extreme or adverse reactions from any vaccinated citizen,
“We are aware of precautionary concerns that have been raised regarding one specific batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine, namely ABV5300. We understand that investigations are being conducted to determine if the batch is in any way linked to an observed side effect.
“While we await the outcome of the investigations; it is important to clearly state that Nigeria did not receive any doses from the batch of vaccines with issues.
“Our assessment is in line with countries such as Spain and the UK; who have indicated that they will continue to administer the vaccine because it remains an important tool to protect against COVID-19.
“The safety of vaccines delivered to Nigeria is paramount to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. For this reason, it has enhanced multi-sectoral collaboration among stakeholders and technical entities; such as the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), NPHCDA, NAFDAC, the WHO and UNICEF; whose cooperation ensures the highest global standards are met for vaccines delivered to Nigeria before they are distributed to Nigerians. Clear, rigorous protocols are being followed to safeguard the health of Nigerians,” he concluded.
However, since this statement was made several other AstraZeneca batches around the world have faced complaint, aggravated health conditions and in some cases resulted in death.
James steller
