Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state has said 40,000 people would be administered doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine during the first phase of the exercise.
He encouraged people to take the vaccines, particularly healthcare workers, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.
Obaseki who stated this after taking the vaccines on Monday; alongside his deputy, Mr. Phillip Shaibu, their spouses and traditional rulers said he was advised against taking the vaccines. The governor who attributed the uncertainties expressed by people to the politics of vaccines said the vaccines are safe.
According to him, “this morning, while coming to Benin from Lagos, I received not less than ten messages advising that I should not take the vaccines.
“Some of these messages came from abroad. They said there are many countries where the vaccines have been put on hold.
“I have to call experts and over the last one hour, we exhaustively went through all the so-called risk issues relating to the COVID-19 vaccines.
“So, I decided this morning against all pressure to make myself available to take this vaccine.
“When polio vaccines came, the same sort of fears and uncertainties were expressed but the world went ahead, it may not have been 100 percent but today we have been able to wipe polio out of our society.”
