TheCable

Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), says an individual cannot be administered different brands of the COVID-19 vaccine.

He stated this at a media briefing of the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Tuesday, while responding to a question on if a person can receive one dose each of different vaccines.

The first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are currently being administeed across the country.

According to Shuaib, one person cannot receive the AstraZaneca vaccine as the first dose, and another vaccine brand as the second shot.

“You cannot take the AstraZeneca on your left, and Johnson & Johnson on the right. It has to be both doses of AstraZeneca or a single shot of the Johnson and Johnson,” he said.

He also spoke on the expected mild side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and urged persons who experience severe reactions to report to the health centres where the dose was administered.

“I think it we have said on multiple locations here, that there are side effects of these vaccines. Side effects of vaccines are not unique to the COVID-19 vaccine. And it is not uncommon for people who take the vaccine to experience mild side effects,” he said.

“Once they experience these side effects, the correct thing to do is to report the side effects to the health facility where you got the vaccine. There’s also the med safety app that you can download on your phone and report these side effects. The data goes directly to NAFDAC, and we’re following up on these side effects.

“Anywhere there’s a serious side effect, this is investigated to try and establish any causal link between the vaccine and whatever symptoms or signs the client has shown. One thing that we continue to tell vaccinators is that even before people take the vaccine, they should be educated on the potential side effects.”