A female medical personnel, Magdalene Nkang, has become the first to receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the Doctor Lawrence Henshaw Infectious Disease Hospital, Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, south-south Nigeria.
Nkang is the Director of Laboratory Sciences at the infectious Disease hospital in Calabar, while Mr. Sunday Obeten, the Laboratory Manager at the reference laboratory was the first male medical personnel to receive the vaccine.
Edem Edem, a veteran journalist with the ‘Daily Post’ was the first journalists in Cross River to get the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The three recipients
Magdalene Nkang said “I feel okay because it is for my good and I am above 50 years old. As a medical practitioner collecting Covid-19 samples and others, I need the cover to boost my immunity. For now, I am not feeling any adverse effect at all.”
Obeten said, “I was excited and there is nothing to be afraid of. I am not having any adverse effect,” while Edem, the journalists stated, “it is fantastic; I have been taking immunization since I was young. I am 60 years plus; it is not strange. I was in a health facility before venturing into journalism. I have a Diploma in Public Health, so, I know much about vaccination.”
Dr. Betta Edu, the Commissioner for Health and Chairman of the State Covid-19 Response Task force, said that the recipients were doing fine and urged the public to come forward and take the vaccines.
“There is really nothing to worry about. They have taken the vaccines they are above 50 years old and there are doing just fine. So, if people above that age can take the vaccine and feeling okay, people should not be worried or scared,” she assured Nigerians.
The Task force Chairman further noted that, “the vaccines are already being taken to the rural areas and there the health workers and strategic leaders would be vaccinated. Again, this first phase is for health workers and strategic leaders, the next phase would be targeted at people above 50 years with comorbidity and the final stage is when we get into the population.”
“Remember, this is just the first dose. The next dose would be coming in in 12 weeks and those, who have taken this first dose would be getting their second dose then,” she further stated.
On the perceived challenge that the response team may face, one of the Doctors, Janet Ekpenyong urged the people to have no fear about the safety of the vaccines.
”We want to appeal that there should be that high demand to take the vaccines because the vaccines are available. What we need right now are high demand for the vaccines. They are being properly stored they are potent. Just make yourselves available for the vaccines so that we can end Covid-19 in Nigeria,” Dr Ekpenyong said.
Vaccination of health workers in other rural communities would commence on Friday and Saturday this week.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
