FG to prosecute Nigerians refusing to vaccinate against Covid-19

Federal Government has disclosed that it is considering prosecuting Nigerians who deliberately refuse to be administered with the Covid-19 vaccines.

A statement issued by the COVID-19 Taskforce on Tuesday, August 31, quoted the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, as saying that government may ‘apply the basic rule of law’ against such people because they are endangering the lives of other people.

“If some individuals refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine, hence, endangering those who have or those who could not due to medical exemptions, then we have to apply the basic rule of law which stipulates that your human right stops where mine begins.

“So, you have a right to refuse vaccines, but you do not have the right to endanger the health of others.

“The Presidential Steering Committee and the Federal Ministry of Health is exploring ways of making vaccines more available to all Nigerians including federal civil servants and corporate entities.

“Once these vaccines are made equitably available to all Nigerians, then we would need to have a frank discussion about justice, fairness, and liberty that exist around vaccine hesitancy.”

It would be recalled that NPHCDA though its Executive Director, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, Monday, had also responded to the spate of misinformation and disinformation about the Covid-19 vaccines, as it said that the agency will not join issues ‘with individuals who would rather concoct misinformation that could negatively affect the health of citizens.’

“This is because even acknowledging some of these falsehoods elevates and adds fuel to a raging flame that benefits only the perpetrator.

“Nevertheless, we are constrained by the volume of specific enquiries about a viral text message which purports that the US Supreme Court has cancelled universal vaccination.

“Let’s set the record straight and once again punch holes in the malicious intentions of anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists: The US Supreme Court has not “overturned universal vaccination” there is no record of such a case, and there is no such thing as “universal vaccination” in the US. So this is another case of “Fake News.”

 “This process can sometimes get things right, but it can also get things wrong, thereby producing rumours that turn out to be false. As Nigerians, when we hear or read information, we must always verify the credibility of the source, whether the information is internally consistent, and whether there is supporting evidence.

“Nigerians are encouraged to always reflect on the veracity of the claims they encounter. People need to understand that misinformation is fundamentally exploitative, it tries to use our religion, our patriotism, and our desire for justice to outrage us and dupe us into faulty reasoning.

“The false claims currently disseminated that Covid-19 vaccines are intended for genetic manipulations were similar to the claims that polio vaccines were intended to kill Muslims, but today, thanks to our resilience, solidarity and collective will, we have cause to celebrate our hard-won victory over wild polio virus in Nigeria,” Shuaib said.

According to him, vaccine was a reliable and proven tool for prevention and control of infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

“A vaccine works by stimulating the immune system to induce immune cells and proteins, called antibodies that confer immunity or protection against the disease.

“The mRNA technology used to develop the new Coronavirus vaccines has been in development for almost two decades.

“Scientists developed the technology to help respond quickly to pandemics such as Covid-19. It is therefore ridiculous when the anti-vaccination campaigners claim that Covid-19 alters the human DNA or that people will die in two weeks or two years after vaccination.

“Similar claims that polio vaccines were intended to cause infertility and kill our children, were made in the past but today, many of the children who received polio vaccine have grown to adulthood, become parents and are fulfilling their various dreams.

“No child in the country died of polio vaccination. It is therefore critically important for us all to always seek correct and accurate information about Covid-19 vaccines from reliable sources, so that we can be rightly guided to dispel fake news and misinformation from individuals or groups driven by mischief,” he added.

Shuaib had earlier informed that that the NPHCDA has so far fully vaccinated 2,897,201 eligible persons across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Speaking during the National Vaccines briefing in Abuja, Monday, the Executive Director noted that the country had commenced its Phase Two vaccination in 35 states plus the FCT.

“For clients who have not had any vaccination, the Moderna Vaccine is available and is being administered currently in all designated health facilities in the country, while those who have had their 1st dose of AstraZeneca vaccine are encouraged to visit their designated health facility to get their 2nd dose,” he advised.

The NPHCDA boss also informed that the United Kingdom government has donated an additional 592,880 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine which was received on August 26, 2021 through the COVAX Facility.

“The total quantity of vaccines donated by the UK Government stands at 1,292,640 doses. The additional doses would be included in the 2nd dose vaccination exercise currently ongoing for clients who have already taken the 1st dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the 1st phase.

“I therefore use this opportunity to once again call on those who received the first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine before July 8, 2021 to go and get their second dose to be fully protected against all strains of the Coronavirus,” he added.

He called on state governors to continue to provide leadership in the mobilization of citizens to prioritize the acceptance of Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, NPHCDA has disclosed that seven states are yet to begin the second phase of vaccination against COVID-19, over two weeks after the Federal Government commenced the phase in Abuja.

This was disclosed in a document posted on the agency’s official Facebook page on Tuesday.

Recall that the Federal Government had on August 16, 2021, flagged off the second phase of the vaccination process in the country at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja.

However, analysis of the data pasted on the verified Facebook page of the NPHCDA revealed that as of August 30, 2021, seven states were yet to inoculate their citizens as the states recorded zero in the total clients vaccinated.

The states affected are Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Gombe, Kogi, Kwara and Plateau states.