A Non-governmental Organisation, Plan International with Support from Canadian Government has organised a one day sensitization training on COVID-19 for Journalists and Information officers from the 23 local government areas of Sokoto State.
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Declaring the training open, the Programme Officer of the NGO, Mr Abdulaziz Jumare, said the training was organised to identify the Journalists and the information officers as a key stakeholders in collaboration toward information dissemination reaching the rural areas concerning COVID-19.
According to him, the disease has affected the entire world including Nigeria and Sokoto State in particular.
” COVID-19 has contributed to the dwindling socio-economic activities of people all over the world, so there is need for people to understand the area of infection, prevention and control has a great impact from the health workers to the entire communities through accurate sensitization,” Jumare said.
He added that the training was to educate Journalists to disseminate accurate information on COVID-19 vaccines in particular to larger society as well as way of preventing individual from being infected from the disease.
” Also seeking on how to create more awareness to larger society on the significance of people to be vaccinated, these vaccines are there, and is free through being vaccinated would be the only way for people to be protected.
” There are alot of rumours and misconceptions about the vaccines, and we are using this opportunity to straighten collaboration with Journalists itn order to inform the entire community in Sokoto State and the country that the vaccines are safe and free, it has no any effect,” he added.
The Programme Officer urged the people of the State to use the opportunity to be vaccinated and disregard any information saying the vaccines were not safe.
Also in his Presentation, Dr Tukur Magaji, highlited the current situation of the disease in Nigeria.
He said as at August 5th this year, Nigeria has 178, 086 confirmed cases with active cases of over 10, 0126 and discharged cases of 165, 773 as well as 2,187 death.
According to Dr Magaji, a total of over 3, 984, 768 million were vaccinated across 36 states of the federation.
He explained that the vaccines is 95% safe and effective, because the clinical trial has already been done by the manufacturers of the vaccines.
He urged people not to be scared as in Nigeria NAFDAC had tested and confirmed the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.
Dr Magaji expressed confidence that the vaccines was only for the body to build immunity and immune response against the virus in case individual is infected with the disease, it would help the population get healthy immune.
