National Hospital Health Workers May Shun COVID-19 Vaccination After Colleague Reported ‘Funny’ Feelings

Holding his telephone set close to his right ear in what sounded like a solemn conversation with someone at the other end, the Senior Radiologist paced back and forth around the same spot at the corner of a walkway at the National Hospital in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

He is not your regular doctor. His accent gave him up as one who’s well-travelled. But his reaction to a question on whether he planned to take the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would leave you petrified.

After his phone conversation, THE WHISTLER asked if he would take the vaccine. Without appearing to think twice, he gave a negative answer, saying a colleague of his, also a staff of the hospital, had reacted in a “funny way” hours after she got the vaccine on Friday last week.

“So, she said that when she woke up, she had some kind of reaction after she took it on Friday. I just spoke to her shortly before I saw you, and she was feeling kind of funny, feverish and all that,” he said.

The senior doctor, who pleaded not to be mentioned, said he would wait until his other colleagues and friends are vaccinated before coming forward for his own jab.

“So, will I be in a hurry to go take the vaccine? Naaaa! I will wait to see how three of my guys react, if they don’t break down and die before I take it. I am not in a hurry; I know my medical conditions, I am fine,” he said.

Although he acknowledged that every vaccine has its side effect, “even paracetamol”, he believes that the effect of the vaccines varies from person to person. He also said he will prefer the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for its single-dose than that of the AstraZeneca vaccine with two doses.

Dr. Omo Abel-Ogbeide, a Gynecologic Oncologist, however, had a different opinion. He said he had received his jab of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday and has suffered no adverse effect since then.

“I have taken the vaccine and I took it on Friday. It’s just like taking any other vaccine; just like the BCG, Hepatitis B, which comes with little or no effect and it’s very safe.

“For those that are afraid of it and think it is the mark of the beast, I have taken it and I don’t have any mark on my body and I did not have any experience, not yet,” he said.

Abel-Ogbeide told this newspaper that the AstraZeneca vaccine, like other vaccines, may come with organic reactions in many but its effect has no significant harm.

He acknowledged that reactions such as muscle ache and rise in the body temperature may occur after immunization, but the AstraZeneca vaccine had shown no such effect on him so far.

On the other hand, Doctor Habiba Aliyu expressed fears that the vaccine may endanger her fertility. “For me, I am not willing to have the vaccine, and some people are saying that the new vaccine may affect fertility – they are saying that a productive age should not take the vaccine because it is a way to reduce the population, so I don’t know how true that is,” she revealed.

Aliyu also alleged that the FG may be using health workers as experiments and as such would wait for six months to observe those who had taken the vaccine before making up her mind.

“I have not taken the vaccine and maybe I only have one reason for not taking the vaccine. I do not know for how long the immunity will last and I feel like they are using us for an experiment. Like, I want to see those that have taken for like two to six months. If there is any reaction fine, if there is none then I will start deciding if I will take or not,” she said.

Another health worker in the hospital, Dr. Tunde Ibitaye, told THE WHISTLER he received his vaccine on Friday and had not shown any side effect.

“I took the vaccine on Friday and everything went well, there was no side effect and I just feel alright. From Friday till now, it’s up to 72 hours so it is enough time to know if there is going to be a side effect. But usually, there is an active effect, within 3 hours, 6 hours and 48 hours, but now its 72 hours and I am not even feeling anything,” he joyfully reacted.

Ibitaye enjoined Nigerians to ignore rumours and accept the vaccine because it is real.

“There is nothing wrong, people should take it. The rumour that people are flying about is wrong. You know the fear of the unknown is the problem.
“In fact, many people said they will not take but by the time they saw everything was flagged off on Friday, they started trooping in. Many of those who didn’t want to take started coming in, come and see the population. Almost 100 health workers got the vaccine on Friday,” he revealed.

The FG has continued to reiterate the need for Nigerians to accept the vaccine as real and shun all conspiracy theories.

THE WHISTLER had reported that the 3.924 AstraZeneca vaccines received a week ago will only vaccinate 2% of the population, pending delivery of the second batch.

With an estimated population of over 200 million, Nigeria plans to vaccinate 30 per cent of the population by the end of 2021 and 40 per cent in 2022 to achieve herd immunity.