Medical and health professionals yesterday came out in the public to counter ongoing misconceptions on COVID-19 vaccines, clarifying that the doses are safe and effective. While urging people to continue getting the jabs, the experts assured the public that the vaccines were developed after necessary steps were taken.
The Experts made statement in Dar es Salaam, yesterday, while briefing the press on important information to be taken after the COVID-19 immunisation exercise was rolled out in the country. A Reproductive Health and Public Health Specialist with USAID Tanzania, Dr. Emmanuel Tluway said the development of vaccines goes through laboratory testing and clinical trials in humans, noting that all approved COVID-19 vaccines have gone through such processes.
Dr. Tluway further clarified that the question as to why it took a short period to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine is owed to the advancement of technology and financial boost to facilitate developers arriving to a conclusion. "Since the first vaccine was discovered 200 years ago, technology has advanced in an unimaginable way, thus simplifying things. Also, the Coronavirus was not a new phenomenon, it dates way back from the 1960s when it was first discovered," said Mr. Emmanuel.
He added: "The development of the vaccine was just a continuation of process that had started in the past when a large part of the work had already been done." Since the pandemic has no boundaries, it has been claiming the lives of people worldwide regardless of their social status; hence, massive resources were invested in the course of finding a vaccine.
Another factor which contributed to speedy development of the vaccine was the readiness of many people to volunteer during the clinical trials. On her part, a public health and healthcare policy specialist at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Tanzania, Dr. Eva Matiko observed that all COVID-19 vaccines which have been approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) are safe and convenient. She pointed out that Tanzania also has its own systems under the Health Ministry to verifying the vaccines.
A US Peace Corps Medical Officer in Tanzania, Dr. Arkan Ibwe, further elaborated on the issue of eligibility, noting that children under the age of 18 years are not entitled to the COVID-19 vaccine. On the other hand, he said people with a cold or fever should not take the jabs until they are well. Dr. Ibwe also pointed out that individuals suffering from allergies should present their information for examination prior to taking vaccine in order to establish, whether their allergies do not conform to the contents of the vaccines.
As for the people facing side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, he urged them to have enough rest, drink enough water and other soft drinks and equally take painkillers such as Panadol. According to him, some people might feel conditions like nausea, fatigue, a fever and joint pains, among others, which will last between 24-72 hours.
Others may experience pains on injected arm, a red colorant irritation, but they are all normal conditions unless they become severe for one to seek medical attention. Crowing it, the United States Ambassador to Tanzania, Donald Wright, disclosed that vaccines are important part of the public health tool kit, because they are safe and they work. "In the US right now, more than 99 percent of new deaths from COVID-19 are among people who have not been vaccinated," he pointed out.
He was of the view that decisions on individual's health are among the most important decisions people make in life, and it is important that people are informed before making decisions.