The Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital( FETHI), Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Professor Adekunle Ajayi has advised Nigerians to accept the COVID-19 vaccine whenever it is available.
The health expert also cautioned Nigerians not to allow the discovery of the vaccine to outshine the safety protocols.
Ajayi gave this admonition during a “Long Service Award” ceremony held for some health workers who have served for 20 years unblemished.
The CMD said the award was a call on the recipients to continue to contribute to the development of the teaching hospital.
Expressing concern over the attitudes of some Nigerians to safety procedures, Ajayi said apathy was the major challenge at the moment.
“There is apathy on the part of people to do the right thing. When you get to that point, you need to keep talking. The truth is that we moved from an era when fear was the motivating factor to one where apathy is the major challenge. That is expected for anything that is longer than expected or that will also affect the comfort of people. We are on top of the game”.
The medical expert, however, advised Nigerians to accept the vaccine as it would go a long way in combating the dreaded virus.
As I have always said, the best form of prevention in infectious diseases is hygiene, which is an issue that we must not let down. We must continue to talk about hygiene – personal hygiene, community hygiene, and basic things – use mask wash your hands, use hand sanitizers, maintain the appropriate distance, and avoid crowded areas. Take responsibility to ensure that you are not infected. When you take responsibility to protect yourself, you are indirectly protecting the several people around you.
Health professionals have used vaccines over the years to tackle infectious diseases. This one is not going to be an exception. We are lucky that we have been able to get the vaccine even ahead of the expected time. there is the need to sensitize the populace on the benefits of taking the vaccine.
Because no matter how well-intended a scheme is if the people do not accept it, it is going to end up as a failure. We have to sensitize the public to accept that these vaccines are meant to help them as part of measures.
