The Nigeria Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) said the agency has reduced the fear expressed in certain quarters about the efficacy and effects of the expected COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
Maxwell Odika, a pharmacist, on behalf of the WHO Enugu State coordinator, at a one-day workshop organised by Enugu State Ministry of Health in conjunction with the State Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) pilot project on sensitization of media practitioners on COVID-19, called on Nigerians not to be afraid of the expected vaccines.
He said that his organization, the World Health Organization was in the position to know everything about the vaccines and get detailed information about them before they would be brought into the country. He advised journalists to always send out correct information about the virus and all the protocols given by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to the people, as it stands the only way now to check the spread of the pandemic.
Also, Okechukwu Chidalue of the RCCE who talked about the basics of COVID-19, called on the people to maintain wearing of face masks and social distancing; pointing out that drinking ethanol or bleach as some people believe does not prevent or cure COVID-19 and that such could be extremely dangerous.
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“Washing hands with clean water and soap and other NCDC protocols must be maintained because as of today no medicine has been discovered by any group to cure the pandemic,” Chidalue said.
The Enugu Commissioner for Health, represented by Anthonia Echo appealed to journalists to always educate the public on the importance of maintaining the NCDC protocols. According to her, washing of hands and other protocols were not hard since they are less costly and available to everybody, and the cheapest measure to stop the spread of the virus.
