By Yakubu Salisu (Nigeria) and Lucy Kilalo (Kenya)
Despite Government’s efforts at all levels in combating the spread the of Covid-19 Virus, people are still reluctant towards getting the vaccine as a collaborative investigation in Nigeria and Kenya has shown.
In Nigeria, there’s a wide believe amongst the people that the vaccine contains properties that prevent childbirth and reduces one’s life expectancy hence the reason for the hesitation.
Most of those who have such believe are of the opinion that the Virus and its Vaccine are aimed at controlling birth and reducing human population on the surface of the earth which statistics have shown to have grown above 7 billion.
Likewise, incidences like cases of blood clotting recorded after some persons were vaccinated further triggered fear among the Kenyan people with being indifferent, while others outrightly reject the vaccine.
Fredrick Odende has sworn never to get the Covid-19 vaccine, he believes it is harmful to the body.
“You mean you haven’t heard what the vaccine can do to your body? I will never accept to be vaccinated even if they decide to do a door to door campaign.
There were stories all over when they started vaccinating people in the country, it that causes blood clots,” he says.
Mr Odende, who is in his thirties, living in Nairobi County believes that Covid-19 pandemic is real and has killed many people, but even with that knowledge, he still won’t agree to get the vaccine.
Mrs Mapenzi Masha, a teacher also has fears that the vaccine will affect her because she has other underlying conditions.
Asked whether her decision is informed after consultations with her physician, she says, it’s just her inner instinct that she won’t survive after the vaccine.
“No, I will not get the vaccine. I have underlying issues that might make me not survive after getting the vaccine since it already has adverse side effects,” she says.
Sentiments in regard to the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine are not new, and are among the many misconceptions being witnessed in many parts of the world.
Although Mr Odende cannot pinpoint where exactly he got the news from except that he heard from other people, is a challenge of misinformation and disinformation that the world is grappling with in these challenging times as it continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Chief Executive Officer of Amref Health Africa, Dr Githinji Gitahi, posted a video narrating how some of the misconceptions are resulting to hesitancy in the uptake of the vaccine.
“A friend of mine, a very close friend of mine, lost their mother yesterday morning to Covid- 19. I have two messages on this video, first the mother wasn’t vaccinated. Why was she not vaccinated? Of course there is a global challenge with vaccines and vaccine equity must be called out and the government must do more to provide vaccines to everyone, but the family was hesitant to give the vaccine and she was hesitant because she had blood pressure and there was all this talk on clots and therefore they were reluctant to get her vaccinated, but now she has passed on.”
“Let us overcome this fear and hesitancy because the risk of death from Covid is far much worse than all the rumors about clots and this and that,” he urges Kenyans in the video.
By August 10, 2021, Kenya had administered a total of 1,881, 988 vaccines across the country, with a total of 1,160, 809 first doses and 721, 179. Some of the vaccines were donations from countries such as France, Denmark and the United Kingdom.
The donations of the AstraZeneca vaccine, from countries, which had stopped its use, elicited a lot of fears on social media platforms, that it had caused blood clots in those countries, and therefore, raised safety issues.
A renowned Virologist and immediate past Chairman, Nigeria Academy of Sciences, Prof Oyewole Tomori, reacting to the speculations said they are Baseless with no iota of truth.
“Though these assertions have been found to be untrue, some people still believe them. I guess when they see that those who have received the vaccines are alive years from now, may be they will eventually believe”.
As to causing barrenness, Tomori stated that, “If pregnant women who get Covid-19 disease, survive and have normal babies, while would a vaccine less dangerous than the virus, cause barrenness?
In fact, pregnant women can now take the vaccine, after clinical trials confirm the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in pregnant women,” he added.
So far, Nigerian Covid-19 Vaccine Statistic stands at 3.97M Doses given, 1.42M Fully Vaccinated representing 0.7% of population fully vaccinated.
The Ministry of Health in Kenya like it’s Nigeria counterpart, has however dismissed those fears, noting that no adverse effects have been reported.
It says that most people have just experienced normal reactions as experienced with taking some drugs, such as fatigue and mild headaches. The ministry has also issued a statement warning an insurance company alleging that it is offering cover for “adverse effects” arising from Covid-19 vaccinations.
This publication was produced as part of IWPR’s Africa Resilience Network
(ARN)programme, administered in partnership with the Centre for Information
Resilience(CIR), the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and Africa
Uncensored. For more information on ARN, please visit the ARN site