The jab that saves
The Government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Health, has just begun the national rollout of AstraZeneca this past March. AstraZeneca, a COVID-19 vaccine, will first be provided to health care workers who are in the front line of COVID-19 fight, security personnel, persons with underlying health conditions and elderly people. The second phase will target journalists, social workers, teachers, and faith and traditional leaders.
Unfortunately, some Malawians are spreading misinformation and disinformation about the vaccine which has led to uncertainty, mistrust and suspicion of the vaccine’s safety among both rural and urban areas. This misinformation and disinformation is being spread on popular social media platforms and through word of mouth. The halting of the vaccine recently in some countries such as South Africa, Denmark, Sweden, France and Norway, among others, has raised even more questions and suspicion of the vaccine’s efficacy and safety.
According to the Malawi presidential taskforce on COVID-19, so far, over 90,000 people have been vaccinated in Malawi from the 360,000 doses that were received from COVAX. The national goal is to vaccinate approximately 11 million people of our population of 19 million so this just the beginning.
Is the vaccine safe?
AstraZeneca has been thoroughly assessed by European Medicine Agency (EMA) and was recommended for efficacy and safety. In response to concerns that AstraZeneca may cause blood clotting, the EMA’s safety committee conducted a review and confirmed that receiving AstraZeneza vaccine does NOT raise the overall risk of blood clots. The EMA also stated that the benefits of the vaccine in combating the widespread threat of Covid-19 outweigh the risk of side effects. Further, the World Health Organization’s expert committee has evaluated data for the AstraZeneza vaccine and has reported that the shot is safe and effective. Overall, the vaccine has an efficacy of 63.09% against symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
The need to take the vaccine
Availability of the vaccine presents a great opportunity to fight the novel virus. Despite misinformation, so many people in Malawi have recommended and encouraged people to take the vaccine. It is important that if we are unsure about what information to trust regarding the vaccine that we reach out to others who are credible and trusted sources and are up to date on the science. Political leaders, healthcare workers, journalists and other communities both within Malawi and internationally have taken their first jab. Any delay in taking the vaccine is making us susceptible to COVID-19.
My fellow Malawians, trust the science and get vaccinated.
I, personally, have taken the jab. Have you?
Please provide your comments and concerns in the comment section.