The Federal Government has slammed a media report, which raised fears concerning the use of the four million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines donated to Nigeria by the U.S. government, saying the report was “fake, baseless and irresponsible’’
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed during an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, said contrary to speculations in the report, the Moderna vaccine was, approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as safe and are being administered globally.
Although it was unclear which particular report the minister referred to, Mohammed, who is a member of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, said the suspicion that the country was being made a testing ground and Nigerians being guinea pigs for testing the vaccine was “baseless, unscientific and a deliberate attempt to dissuade people from taking it’’.
“Nigerians are extremely futile in imagination. They will make statements that are baseless and not proved by science. Those who are saying this, is Nigeria the only country where the Moderna vaccine is being administered? the answer is No.
“They should stop this nonsense because this kind of fake news is capable of discouraging people from taking the vaccine,’’ he said.
Mohammed urged Nigerians not to be deterred by the “fake news” on COVID-19 and the vaccines, saying the Modena vaccine was not harmful but meant to save a life.
Also, he urged Nigerians to come out to take the vaccines when the second batch is rolled out on August 16.
“COVID 19 is real and the Delta variant is in Nigeria because we have been witnessing an increase in cases due to the variant that we have identified in many states. The variant is very virulent, highly transmissible, and it kills easily and faster.
The only two ways for Nigerians to protect themselves is by taking the vaccine and observing the non-pharmaceutical protocols. If you have taken your dose, don’t think you are free to go about without wearing a face mask and attending rallies and parties. I sincerely hope that Nigerians will realise that prevention is better than cure,’’ he added.
Meanwhile, he appealed to the media, religious leaders, traditional rulers, and other influential personalities to join the PSC in sensitising the public to the fact that all the vaccines had been approved by WHO and were safe for use.
Mohammed also called on the state governments to reactivate their structures in the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols
