By Mohammed Balu
Tumu, (UWR), Feb. 19, GNA – The Sissala East Municipal Health Directorate has held a day’s meeting on risk communication and community engagement to discuss ways to get communities to accept the COVID-19 vaccination.
Addressing participants, Mr Clifford Vengkunmwine, the Sissala East Municipal Director of Health, said when COVID-19 affected the world, a lot of people were scared to the extent that when a vaccine was gotten, some people refused to accept it due to some myths and misconceptions.
“This has left the health system battling with these misconceptions and myths, some of which we intend to hear from you the people and see if we can offer explanations to them,” he said.
Mr Vengkumwine explained that when they mount vaccines post very few people come out to vaccinate due to fear except the Fulbe community who accept it.
He disclosed that in the communities, there are several people who haven’t received the vaccination.
This he said was the reason everyone needed to get vaccinated.
Some of the misconceptions and myths he mentioned included inability to conceive or unable to impregnate a woman.
Others also think erroneously that it was the President’s own plan of reducing childbirth in the country while others said they were that afraid they would die after receiving the vaccination.
Others also said COVID-19 was a plan by the government to make money for itself and not the people and vaccines were made to reduce the African population, which was seen as a nuisance to the world.
Mr Vengkumwine emphasised that they were mere misconceptions and untrue and explained that the vaccines had undergone trials in several stages and could not harm humans as exaggerated.
He, however, said any vaccine would have some reactions, which were normal and therefore called on the participants to dispel them as they were mere rumours.
The participants were drawn from the church, mosque, and security agencies.
The rest were traditional authorities, education and the media that were made to come up with an action plan meant to increase acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines among the people.
GNA