Sidat Fofana, Director of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), at the ministry of health has urged people to take the coronavirus vaccines in order for the country to defeat the pandemic. Speaking at a press briefing recently at the national drug store in Kotu, Sidat Fofana said the rate in which people are taking the vaccines in the country is very slow and he urged them to get vaccinated .

“The only way we can eradicate the pandemic within our country is through vaccines. There is no shortcut for the eradication of the virus. We must take the vaccines to have a strong immune system that can fight the disease,” he said.

“We are in a covid-19 crisis that has affected the whole world. The only thing that can take us out of covid-19 crisis is through vaccination for all the target population.” Countries across the world are supported by the COVAX facility, an organization whose mandate is to ensure that poor countries get access to the vaccines to protect their population.

He said since the vaccination campaign began in the country, they have only vaccinated 10.1% of the targeted population which he said is figure considering the target population which is 1.4 million of the total population. “We will continue experiencing the virus within us if we do not take the vaccines and follow the WHO and Health ministry guidelines.”

He said coronavirus is real and it is killing people globally which Gambia is not exceptional. He sites that China and America are succeeding in defeating the virus because they have vaccinated their target population.

We can never be safe if we do not take the vaccines so that our body’s immune system will be strong enough to fight the virus.

According to the director of EPI the target population is 60% of the population to be fully vaccinated. I called on all those who took their first jab of either the AstraZeneca or the Sinopharm to get their second jab to be fully immunized.

According to him, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a single dose per individual while the other vaccines required two doses of each per individual. Our main issue is vaccine hesitancy and the spreading false information about the vaccines which discourage many people from taking the vaccines.

The coronavirus pandemic is taking havoc in the world as many countries are fighting the delta variant which experts warn could be deadlier. The country has now registered up to 300 coronavirus deaths which is still increasing.

He said people are dying from the treatment centers on a daily basis from the disease. He stated that the virus  is a serious disease and they cannot sit back and allow this to continue killing our people.

Gibril Gando Baldeh, Senior Risk Communication Officer said the pandemic has affected people’s livelihood and it has caused a lot of economic instability. He said the disease spread from one person to another either by hand shake, cough, sizing. “People should continue wearing face masks and also to avoid public gatherings and wash hands regularly with soap and water,” he said.

Gibril said it is unfortunate that people are no longer observing the preventive measures in many communities. He stressed that the virus will still remain in the country if people do not follow the preventive measures.

He rules the fact that some people are still in denial of the existence of the virus with a belief that the vaccines are meant to reduce that population. Adding that people should not take the virus as a joke.

 

By Dawda Baldeh