BY Bolanle Olabimtan
Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, says the side effects of taking the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are mild.
Nigeria received the long-awaited vaccines on Tuesday courtesy of the COVAX facility which donated 3.9 million doses to Nigeria.
On Friday, the country commenced its COVID-19 vaccination with frontline health workers in Abuja.
The first shot of the vaccine was given to Cyprian Ngong, a medical doctor at the National Hospital, Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo received a shot of the vaccine at the presidential villa on Saturday.
Speaking during the vaccination exercise, Ehanire described the vaccination process as “simple and painless.”
“The process itself is simple. We are using a narrow gauge syringe, which will be very painless and it is a small quantity that is injected into the muscle of your upper arm,” he said.
“The after effect, as we know so far are mild. There can be a small pain in the area where it was injected.
“There can be a little bit of discomfort that follows in a small percentage of people. But on whole, there is no untoward adverse effects associated with this vaccine.
“It has been certified safe and usable by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). So it has gone through all the tests to be used in various countries and certified by the authorities of the state.”
He thanked the president and vice-president for agreeing to take the vaccine publicly adding that “this will boost the morale of the health sector and reassure the public as to the safety and efficacy of the vaccines which have been of concern to the public.”
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