Failure to take COVID-19 vaccine may lead to sickness and death, FG warns Nigerians

Yusuf Bello| Failure to take the COVID-19 vaccine may lead to sickness and eventual death, the federal government has warned.

The chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), Boss Mustapha who gave the warning while speaking at the commissioning of State House Clinic Special Care Centre (COVID-19 Isolation Centre), said the Federal Government would continue to encourage Nigerians to get vaccinated, when the time comes, because ‘‘the vaccines are safe, effective and for our benefit.’’

‘‘We will appeal and explain to our people that if you do not take the vaccine, the danger of falling terribly sick and eventually dying is there, Mustapha said.

‘‘We will be blunt to them that if you don’t take the COVID-19 vaccine, you may not be able to go anywhere in the world, very soon. Even when you want to go and perform your spiritual obligation, that will be subjected to your COVID-19 status.’’

The PTF Chairman while dismissing conspiracy theories concerning the safety of vaccines, said the Buhari administration is using the challenges posed by the pandemic as an opportunity to change Nigeria’s health infrastructure.

According to him, through the PTF, the 2021 budget made provision for the establishment of at least one oxygen production plant in all the States of the Federation, as well as a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facility.

He said, ‘‘I don’t believe anyone will spend billions of dollars in manufacturing vaccines in order to kill us in Africa.’’

‘‘From just two molecular laboratories for the testing of COVID-19 in Nigeria, we now have over 100 molecular laboratories, public and private, across the 36 States of the Federation.

‘‘I want to commend the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, the Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar, and the State House management under whose leadership this beautiful edifice is being commissioned.

‘‘I am confident that when the Minister of Health visits, whatever he decides, I can give you my word that we will put a laboratory for testing or a PCR facility in State House Clinic. This is supposed to be our priority.

‘‘I will also speak to the Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, who has the primary responsibility of resourcing, setting up, and accrediting laboratories because we need it here,” he said.