More than 10,000 Nigerians who took the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine were reported to have experienced mild, moderate and severe side effects after the vaccination.
The Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib made this known during a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja while giving an update on the COVID-19 vaccination.
According to him, 10,027 of Nigerians reported mild, moderate and Adverse Events Following Immunization, AEFI, after their first dose of the vaccine.
Shuaib said those affected experienced symptoms ranging from pains and swelling at the vaccination site to headaches and abdominal pains, among others.
NPHCDA boss: “There have been cases of mild, moderate and severe Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) since we officially rolled out Covid-19 vaccination on March 15, 2021. The AEFls symptoms ranged from pain and swelling at site of vaccination to more serious symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, fever, dizziness and allergic reactions.
“A total of 10,027 cases of mild AEFI have been reported as of May 30”, while 86 cases of moderate to severe incidents have been reported. All these individuals have since fully recovered.
“Five States have the highest records of AEF! namely: Cross River (1,040), Kaduna (1,071), Lagos (796), Yobe (555), and Kebbi with 525 cases.
“We acknowledge the possibility of some people relocating from the States where they took their first doses. For this reason, we have made provision for special vaccination sites that could accommodate administering their second doses. It is also possible that due to certain circumstances, some of the sites used for the first dose vaccination may no longer be available; in this case, you are kindly advised to go for your second dose at the nearest vaccination post. The list of the vaccination sites is available on our website (www.nphcda.gov.ng), which we will keep updating and will also be published accordingly. Please bear with us while we try to make the vaccination process as seamless as possible.”