The Abia Primary Health Care Development Agency has solicited the support of the mass media toward ensuring the success of the COVID-19 vaccination in the state.
Mrs Meg Onwu, the Head of Department, Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation in the agency, made the call at a workshop for select media professionals in the state on Thursday in Umuahia.
In an overview of COVID-19, Onwu described the pandemic as “a serious threat to wipe out mankind from the surface of the earth”.
She regretted that the social media were awash with “misinformation” about the vaccine, hence the need for the workshop.
“We want to properly educate media professionals on the true and factual situation in Abia so that they can disseminate the true information about the vaccine.
“We want the media to know what the state has done, what it is doing and plans to do to tackle the pandemic,” she said.
Onwu, who recalled how her husband narrowly escaped death from COVID-19, said it was unfortunate that some people had yet to believe the pandemic is real.
She said: “Some people still say it is a scam. COVID-19 is real. It has killed a lot of people and still killing many.
She hoped the media would leverage their potency in changing people’s misconceptions to make the vaccine acceptable to Abia residents.
Onwu, who is a Director, Health Education in the Ministry of Health, expressed joy that the state had received 61,320 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from the Federal Government.
She said that training of health workers in the 17 local government areas of Abia for the vaccination had commenced.
She said that the state would soon embark on public enlightenment in markets and communities on the modalities for the vaccination in phases.
Also, the Infection Prevention and Control Focal Person for COVID-19 in Abia, Dr Okorie Onuka,
spoke on how the virus spreads and ways people could protect themselves from contracting the disease.
Onuka said that because the virus had a bigger frame, “it can be easily managed by the regular use of face masks, handwashing and maintaining social distancing”.
The two health experts said that taking full vaccination would not guarantee 100 per cent immunity against the virus.
They, therefore, admonished residents to continue to comply with the non-pharmaceutical protocols with or without the vaccination. (NAN)
