We worked hard to dismantle COVID-19 vaccine myth – Ekiti

THE Senior Special Assistant to Ekiti State Governor on Public Health, Dr Jimlas Ogunsakin, said on Thursday that the state would begin to administer the second jab of COVID-19 vaccines on those who had taken the first dose in May.

Ogunsakin, who said that 26,000 persons had received the first jab in the state, disclosed that the COVID-19 vaccination monitoring teams were still receiving feedbacks from those who had received the first jab to ascertain whether they suffered any adverse effect.

The medical expert said in Ado Ekiti that “we have not received any complaint of any serious adverse effect for now in Ekiti State”.

He said that the state government had not suspended testing of the populace for COVID-19 pandemic, saying a total of 1,416 persons were tested across the state in March.

Ogunsakin said that the state received 52,000 doses from the Federal Ministry of Health in March, which he said were medically specified for 26,000 persons at two jabs for a person.

He said, “26,000 persons across the state, including high profile leaders in government, frontline health workers, religious, traditional and political leaders as well as others, voluntarily came up for the vaccine.

“We worked hard to dismantle the myth and misconception about the vaccine. By the time the political, religious and traditional leaders also came out to take the jabs, it helped a lot coupled with the COVID-19 sensitisation programmes that we held, where we met with religious and political leaders, business class and heads of institutions.”