No deaths, blood clots recorded so far from COVID-19 vaccinations in Nigeria – FG, WHO

The Federal Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have disclosed that since the covid-19 vaccination with AstraZeneca vaccine began on March 15, 2021, there has been no record of deaths and blood clotting. The government however stated a total of 8,439 mild adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) have been reported such as pain, swelling at the site of the inoculation, body pains and nausea. Also, 52 cases of moderate to severe incidents of AEFI have been reported, such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea headaches, dizziness, and allergic reactions. It further revealed that five states have the highest records of the AEFI namely: Kaduna (970); Cross River (859); Yobe (541); Kebbi (511) and Lagos (448). The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, made these known in Abuja at a briefing on updates on the status of covid-19 vaccination. He said: “There has been no death from administration of the vaccine. We have also not diagnosed any case of blood clots related to the administration of the vaccines. “Nevertheless, we are working with NAFDAC, NCDC and other relevant agencies to set up a more active surveillance system built on our experience with polio surveillance. “As of today, April 16th, 1,071,346 representing 53.2 percent of the eligible persons targeted with the Astrazeneca vaccine have been administered with their first dose in this vaccination phase. “In many states, we have completed inoculating frontline health workers and are now offering vaccination to the elderly, particularly those that are 65 years and above. “We are glad to be able to progress quickly and offer immunization to more members of the community. Our rollout has been marked by safety, efficiency, best practice and speed.” The Country Representative of WHO, Dr Walter Kazardi, added: “Till date, over 200 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered. About 182 cases of thromboembolic events with thrombocytopenia have been reported. If there is a causal link, the events are very rare and the risk is extremely low. “More data from regions outside Europe and the UK is needed to fully understand the potential relationship between the vaccinations and blood clot with low platelet count. “And no such events have been documented in Nigeria even as we have reached over a million population that have been vaccinated.”