No Deaths, Blood Clot Recorded Over Vaccination — FG, WHO

The Federal Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO)
have disclosed that since the covid-19 vaccination with AstraZeneca
vaccine began on March 15, 2021, there has been no record of deaths
and blood clotting.

The government however stated a total of 8,439 mild adverse
events following immunisation (AEFI) have been reported such as
pain, swelling at the site of the inoculation, body pains and
nausea.

Also, 52 cases of moderate to severe incidents of AEFI have been
reported, such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea headaches, dizziness,
and allergic reactions.

It further revealed that five states have the highest records of
the AEFI namely: Kaduna (970); Cross River (859); Yobe (541); Kebbi
(511) and Lagos (448).

The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National
Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib,
made these known in Abuja at a briefing on updates on the status of
covid-19 vaccination.

He said: “There has been no death from administration of the
vaccine. We have also not diagnosed any case of blood clots related
to the administration of the vaccines.

“Nevertheless, we are working with NAFDAC, NCDC and other
relevant agencies to set up a more active surveillance system built
on our experience with polio surveillance.

“As of today, April 16th, 1,071,346 representing 53.2 percent of
the eligible persons targeted with the Astrazeneca vaccine have
been administered with their first dose in this vaccination
phase.

“In many states, we have completed inoculating frontline health
workers and are now offering vaccination to the elderly,
particularly those that are 65 years and above.

“We are glad to be able to progress quickly and offer
immunization to more members of the community. Our rollout has been
marked by safety, efficiency, best practice and speed.”

The Country Representative of WHO, Dr Walter Kazardi, added:
“Till date, over 200 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been
administered. About 182 cases of thromboembolic events with
thrombocytopenia have been reported. If there is a causal link, the
events are very rare and the risk is extremely low.

“More data from regions outside Europe and the UK is needed to
fully understand the potential relationship between the
vaccinations and blood clot with low platelet count.

“And no such events have been documented in Nigeria even as we
have reached over a million population that have been
vaccinated.”

The Federal Government and the World Health Organisation (WHO)
have disclosed that since the covid-19 vaccination with AstraZeneca
vaccine began on March 15, 2021, there has been no record of deaths
and blood clotting.

The government however stated a total of 8,439 mild adverse
events following immunisation (AEFI) have been reported such as
pain, swelling at the site of the inoculation, body pains and
nausea.

Also, 52 cases of moderate to severe incidents of AEFI have been
reported, such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea headaches, dizziness,
and allergic reactions.

It further revealed that five states have the highest records of
the AEFI namely: Kaduna (970); Cross River (859); Yobe (541); Kebbi
(511) and Lagos (448).

The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National
Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib,
made these known in Abuja at a briefing on updates on the status of
covid-19 vaccination.

He said: “There has been no death from administration of the
vaccine. We have also not diagnosed any case of blood clots related
to the administration of the vaccines.

“Nevertheless, we are working with NAFDAC, NCDC and other
relevant agencies to set up a more active surveillance system built
on our experience with polio surveillance.

“As of today, April 16th, 1,071,346 representing 53.2 percent of
the eligible persons targeted with the Astrazeneca vaccine have
been administered with their first dose in this vaccination
phase.

“In many states, we have completed inoculating frontline health
workers and are now offering vaccination to the elderly,
particularly those that are 65 years and above.

“We are glad to be able to progress quickly and offer
immunization to more members of the community. Our rollout has been
marked by safety, efficiency, best practice and speed.”

The Country Representative of WHO, Dr Walter Kazardi, added:
“Till date, over 200 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have been
administered. About 182 cases of thromboembolic events with
thrombocytopenia have been reported. If there is a causal link, the
events are very rare and the risk is extremely low.

“More data from regions outside Europe and the UK is needed to
fully understand the potential relationship between the
vaccinations and blood clot with low platelet count.

“And no such events have been documented in Nigeria even as we
have reached over a million population that have been
vaccinated.”