Fear as more European countries suspend COVID-19 vaccination

NPHCDA defends vaccination, NAFDAC lists 14 herbal medicines

Fear and terror as Nigerians learned yesterday that the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine currently being administered to citizens has been suspended by no fewer than seven countries over alleged blood clotting and other health risks. According to American cable news channel Cable (CNN), Denmark, Iceland and Norway have suspended the use of the vaccine while the European Medicines Agency (EMA) investigates the allegations.

Yesterday, Italy, along with Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Latvia, suspended vaccinations from batch ABV5300. However, Danish authorities did not provide any information on whether the reported death was related to the shipment.

The European country announced a two-week lockdown yesterday after reports of blood clots. Iceland and Norway followed suit but did not provide information on the duration of their lockdowns.

In a statement yesterday, AstraZeneca said patient safety was the company’s “top priority”. Despite several calls, text messages and WhatsApp messages, the Guardian was unable to reach the health minister Dr Osagie Ehanire, the executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development (NPHCDA) Dr Faisal Shuaib and the director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Prof Mojisola Adeyeye for comment.

However, a statement from the NPHCDA’s head of public relations said: “We are confident that the clinical evidence indicates that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective. Our assessment is in line with countries such as Spain and the UK, which have indicated that they will continue to administer the vaccine as it remains an important means of protection against COVID-19.”

President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Innocent Ujah, said: “You need to know and ascertain the reason for the suspension of vaccination in these countries before you consider anything.”

Will Nigeria suspend use? Dr Lolu Ojo, consultant pharmacist and medical director of Merit Healthcare, told The Guardian: “Nigeria may not need to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine because some other countries have done so. That would be a panic reaction and unscientific.”

However, the EMA has approved Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine for use in the European Union. The one-shot vaccine produced in the US is the fourth to be approved by the regulator, and the EU has already ordered 400 million doses.

MEANWHILE, NAFDAC has listed 14 herbal medicines against COVID-19 for use in the country. According to the Nigerian regulator, the drugs are now safe for consumption but their effectiveness is yet to be determined in clinical trials.

Its Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the announcement yesterday in Abuja after receiving a jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine. He noted that his organization had carefully studied the vaccine and confirmed that it was “safe and effective for use against the COVID-19 virus.”