The Oyo State Government has advanced reasons why the state was yet to roll out its coronavirus vaccination program, saying the delay was to ensure all loopholes and safety boxes were blocked and ticked by the government.
It explained that the concerns raised in some countries, particularly most European nations like Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and France over the vaccine’s alleged side effect necessitated measures being put in place by the government to perfect the vaccination programme in Oyo.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bashir Bello, said that the state has been putting in place necessary precautions to ensure that nobody who takes the vaccine is put at risk.
Briefing journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday, the commissioner who confirmed the receipt of a total of 127,740 doses of the AstraZeneca brand of the Covid-19 vaccine by Oyo state, assured that no efforts would be spared in protecting the Oyo people.
According to him, Oyo State has to take some basic precautionary measures and one of the measures was that we ensure first of all that the vaccine is certified save for administration.
“We are trying to ensure that the state modifies its own website because it is a national website for those intending to take the jabs and this has given rise to some misconceptions because some people wrongfully thought Oyo State has got the vaccine and they don’t know what we are doing.
“But the correct information is that there are some information necessary for every individual to be vaccinated. We are now, along with international websites, putting some pieces of information so that the Oyo State website will be fairly distinct in that we will be able to catch up on some things.
“So, we are trying to take the precautions along with the vaccination procedure. One of the factors some countries gave was intravascular coagulation, a factor that means that the blood will clot within the vessels. The subsequent result of this is that, if it blocks any part of the body and that body is no longer vesiculated, it will result in paralysis for that side, because there is no blood in circulation. But if perchance it involves the coronary artery, which is a very tiny one, it will lead to shock and immediate death.
“So, in Oyo State, we will add what we call a coagulometer, which we have had at Olodo all along, but it is going to be optional. That is one of the precautions Oyo State is trying to take along with its vaccination procedure.”
