COVID-19 Vaccination: Scientists Caution FG

A professor of  immunology, Ganiyu Arinola, said that rolling out a mass nationwide vaccine campaign might not be the the best use of resources for a resource-poor country like Nigeria.
Arinola, of the Department of Immunology, University of Ibadan, noted that while no amount of investment on health was a waste,”it is reasonable to spend wisely in this time of economic recession”.
The immunologist said that mass vaccination alone would not halt the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, adding that the available vaccines do not confer lifelong immunity against the virus.
“The mere availability of COVID-19 vaccine is insufficient to give broad immunological protection.
“Efficient vaccines must be safe with little side effects, inexpensive for the target population and widely effective across gender and wide geographical ranges,”he said.
In terms of its efficacy, Arinola still urged a cautious approach by the authorities.
“This is not a hundred per cent true of current  COVID-19 vaccines, showing that there is room for improvement on them.
‘For instance, re-infection is likely because existing vaccines stimulate antibody production which may wane with time’, he added.