Covid-19 Vaccine And Wike’s Approach In Rivers

I have read with dismay the misinformation peddled on social media about the Rivers State Government and its citizens on receiving the so-called Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, especially as the Governor, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, was not seen on live television receiving a shot.
Some even reported that his Deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo, allegedly received an empty syringe of a supposed Covid-19 vaccine on live TV.
As a concerned Rivers indigene who has the privilege of practising medicine in a developed country, I write in defence of the Governor’s health policies and to debunk some unfounded misconceptions about the Covid-19 vaccines at this crucial point in this pandemic.
We have seen and read about the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Black race, majority of whom are Africans. It, therefore, behoves every government and policy makers to prioritise their citizens, especially the ‘at-risk’ and vulnerable groups when it comes to receiving Covid-19 vaccines.
If the Deputy Governor of Rivers State got the vaccine before the Governor, it is probably because she is more at risk than the governor of which her profession as a medical doctor automatically places her up the risk ladder. The Covid vaccine is given based on risk-exposure basis.
The Federal Government of Nigeria through the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Ministry of Health, with the approval of NAFDAC, has procured about 4 million Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines and has rolled out plans to get the citizens vaccinated. The best that every state government can do, at this point, is to key into this vaccination programme and get the ball rolling, which the Rivers State Government is rightly doing.
Let us take a look at the various types of Covid-19 Vaccine;
Contextually, there are five major vaccines commercially available against Covid-19 and all have undergone clinical trials and certified to be efficacious to varying degree.
Vaccine trials are done using different criteria aimed at measuring infection load which determines their effectiveness. Every degree of vaccine efficiency offers better immunity than none.
Unfortunately, as most things are politicised in our country, people are quick to discredit the Governor solely by looking at summary figures and get swayed into propagating misconstrued and unfounded propaganda of the AstraZeneca vaccine as being substandard.
Oxford University AstraZeneca Vaccine.
This is a vector vaccine with 70.4% protection after the second dose.
It is given as 2 doses 3 months apart and can be stored in a refrigerator between + 2 to + 8 degrees Celsius for six months or till expiry date. It costs only $4 per vial.
Owing to the peculiarity of Nigeria’s erratic power supply and comparative cost advantage, this appears the best option. It is in no way substandard.
The Mordana Vaccine.
This is an mRNA vaccine developed by Madonna in partnership with Niaid.
It has 98.1% efficacy after the second dose given 28 days apart.
It can be stored in freezer between – 25 to – 15 degrees Celsius till expiry and in the fridge at +2 + 8 degrees Celsius up to 30 days before its use. It cannot be re-frozen and the cost of a vial is $15 to $25.
Pfizer BionTECH Vaccine
This vaccine was developed by Pfizer using the mRNA technology.
It provides 52% protection after the first dose and 95% effective at preventing Covid- 19 after the second dose. It consists of 2 doses given 21 days or three months apart depending on the supply availability. It can be stored frozen between -80 degrees Celsius to -60 degrees Celsius until expiry or six months afterwards. Once diluted, it has to be stored at +2 + 25 degrees Celsius used within six hours. Each vial costs $20.
Jensen (Johnson & Johnson) Vaccine.
This is a vector vaccine produced in America and found to be 72% effective at preventing moderate form of Covid-19 and 85% protective against the severe form of the virus.
It offers 100% protection from hospitalisation and death arising from Covid-19.
It is only giving in a one-off dose and can be stored in warehouses between – 20 degrees Celsius. It can remain stable at this temperature for up to two years.
Novovax
This is a protein adjuvant vaccine. It provides 89.3% protection after two doses.
It can be stored at fridge temperature making it easier to distribute.
Vaccines, just as medicines, have side effects. The side effects represent signs that the vaccine is prompting your body to mount an immune response which is a sign that the vaccine is working.
For all vaccines against Covid-19, the most commonly reported side effects are mild discomfort at the site of injection, fatigue, nausea, headache, fever and chills.
The side effect profiles were extensively explored using the clinical trials data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other relevant bodies.
The WHO and CDC have published various data to reveal that the Black race is more at risk of mortality from Covid-19. Ironically, Black people are the lowest group to have received the vaccine so far globally. This apathy stems from propaganda, politics, conspiracy theories and statistics suggesting that the Black race is the elimination target of Covid-19.
It is interesting how data has been skewedly misinterpreted to suggest that any vaccine not up to 100% efficacy is substandard. That is not correct.
Despite the low efficacy rates of any of the vaccines, they still provide near-perfect protection against Covid-19 and prevent hospitalisation and death arising from complications of the disease.
People should be encouraged to take whichever vaccine is available to them depending on their local peculiarities and regardless of the vaccine brand.
If the Rivers State Government has procured any brand of the vaccine from the Federal Government or from any other source, despite the efficacy level, it is still optimum and will provide effective protection against the deadly Coronavirus and forestall poorer outcomes.
Let history not repeat itself. May we not forget the consequence of the apathy of the Northern leaders towards polio vaccine that gave Nigeria a herculean task in eradicating polio from the country.
The priority of the Rivers State Government in its roll-out Covid-19 vaccination plan should be to aggressively embark on public enlightenment to gain trust in our communities so as to underpin her commitment in ensuring that the health of Rivers people is prioritised.
There are various haemorrhaging concerns about the health sector both in Rivers State and nationally which will have to be addressed by the government in power, but of utmost immediate importance is to contribute meaningfully towards fighting this pandemic.
I salute the Rivers State Governor for championing this course in ensuring that Rivers people were promptly included in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
Dr Pepple is a fertility expert and NHS registrar in the United Kingdom.

By: Douglas-Iyalla Pepple