Don’t blame vaccination for every COVID-19 death ― Tomori

A professor of virology and Chairman of, Expert Review Committee on COVID-19, Professor Oyewole Tomori, says that it is a myth that the COVID-19 vaccine can prevent people from contracting the infection and Nigerians should stop blaming the vaccine for every death due to coronavirus.

Tomori, a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition, declared that individuals should stop blaming the vaccine for contracting the infection when they are exposed to the virus because the vaccine is not meant to do that.

According to the virologist, the vaccine will only confer full immunity against the infection 10 days to two weeks after receiving the second dose of the vaccine and in between the period, if one gets infected, such is not protected.

He declared: “If I got a dose of the vaccine today and a week after I got infected, I am not going to be protected because immunity does not develop the day I got the vaccine. It takes two doses and that is at least 10 days to two weeks after the second dose. This is why people think that the vaccine is not working.

“The other thing is that vaccination is not the same as immunisation. The fact that I am vaccinated does not mean that I will develop immunity, and for different reasons. Take for example individuals with compromised immunity; they don’t develop strong immunity after vaccination like other people.

Professor Tomori declared that science did not say that the COVID-19 vaccine has 100 per cent efficacy and as such not everyone would develop strong immunity against covid-19 after vaccination.

He added, “people need to know that been vaccinated does not confer 100 per cent protection and when you take it, how the vaccine was stored and other factors will determine what the extent of the immunity at the end of the day. Even the immunity is not immediately after vaccination, it takes time.

“The vaccine will not stop the exposure to coronavirus when I deliberately expose myself, by not wearing masks. The vaccine will only stop the infection from becoming a disease. And the fact that I get exposed means that I can be infected.

“But because I have collected the vaccine and I am immunised then the infection does not become a disease, that it does not get me to the hospital and does not lead me to death. People need to understand and stop blaming the vaccine for what the vaccine did not do.”

Chairman, Medical Sub-Committee, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19, Dr Ejike Orji, stated that individuals despite taking two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine die for different reasons that have nothing to do with the vaccine.

Dr Orji stated that information from other climes, America and the United Kingdom, indicated that 90 per cent of all admission and deaths from COVID-19 are in those not vaccinated.

He added, “that shows the efficacy of the vaccination. That somebody died after two doses of the vaccine does not actually mean that the person actually died from COVID-19.”

The COVID-19 Incident Manager in Ogun State, Dr Kayode Soyinka, says that the COVID-19 vaccine does not prevent individuals from contracting the infection but only ensure that vaccinated individuals do not develop the severe form of the disease.

According to him, “vaccination is not the same as immunization. Immunization is the challenge of your body to produce its own defence. If there is anything wrong with the vaccine, say the cold chain was not maintained, that vaccine will fail in ensuring this.

“Many people have the notion that after the vaccination, they cannot die from COVID-19. Well, ideally, that should be it because it is supposed to boost the body immunity to fight. That is the truth, but don’t forget that most of the people that died of COVID-19 also may have some other underlying health challenge.”

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