Agency trains 500 community leaders on COVID-19 risk management and vaccination

A non-profit organization known as United Purpose Nigeria has trained more than 500 community leaders on the essence of the COVID-19 vaccines and importance of adhering to hygiene protocols.

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The group with the support of the Cross River Primary Healthcare Development Agency conducted the training for traditional rulers, community influencers and mobilizers in Ikom local government area in the central district of the state.

According to the organizers of the training, Ibeye Wibe, “despite the death of millions across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people in the villages still consider COVID-19 to be a hoax and the vaccination a conspiracy.”

“This perception has created strong resistance to the mandatory observance of laid down preventive protocols and acceptance of vaccines. So, we demed it very necessary to partner with the PHCDA to take lifesaving information to these groups of people right in the communities,” said Wibe.

The facilitator emphasized the need for community leaders to prioritize the fight against COVID-19, noting that coronavirus was responsible for millions of deaths in the world and impacted the sources of livelihood affected.

He further stressed, the need for the traditional leaders to maintain high safety protocols and build resistance against the virus by embrace the vaccines.

Spearheading Campaigns
In her address, the Director General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong expressed satisfaction with what she described as “high level community engagements”, where traditional leaders have spare headed the campaign.

Dr Ekpenyong informed them as custodians of local laws and strong influencers in their various communities that their partnership with the state government to minimize the spread of the virus had yeilded huge results, which made Cross River record one of the least cases of COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic.

She urged, “we need you to adopt the same strategies you used to get the people to comply with the protocols when Nigeria was at the peak of the pandemic to get the people vaccinated especially as the nation commences another phase of COVID-19 vaccination targeted at the aged and those with underlying health challenges.”

She further said that vaccination has proven to be the most trusted remedy to check mortality throughout the history of pandemics, which is the reason for people to get vaccinated.

One of the participants, the traditional ruler of Yakurr, Ofem Ubi, thanked the state government and United Purpose Nigeria for raising awareness on COVID-19 through those he described as key stakeholders to dessiminate information to others.

He promised that messages on the safety, efficacy and relaibility of the vaccines would be shared among various interest groups in order to get the acceptance of the people for the vaccine.