By Bizibrains Okpeh
Introduction
There is no overstating that the Covid-19 pandemic is one of the worst public health crises in recent human history. It has not only resulted in over a million deaths the world over but has also thrown some world economies into their worst recessions in history, separating families, and inducing forced restrictions on human activities. The odds were pretty ominous from the beginning as high numbers of mortalities were predicted, especially in Africa.
However, after several months of uneasiness, as nations gradually begin to reopen, the news of the development of Covid-19 vaccines with over 90 percent protection efficacy against the virus further strengthened hope that life would soon return to normal.
Nevertheless, with this renewed hope also comes the question of effective, equitable, and inclusive distribution of the vaccines. What is the readiness of Nigeria to get Nigerians vaccinated against Covid-19? How do we ensure that the most vulnerable Nigerians, including persons with disabilities are mainstreamed in the vaccination process?
The Covid-19 Vaccine Race and the Prospect of Vaccination
As a means of curbing the spread of Covid-19, certain basic public health measures such as regular washing of hands, mask-wearing, and social distancing were reinforced. Yet, it was/is the prospect of vaccines that was/is touted as a far-reaching measure in the fight against the virus. This resulted in a somewhat vaccine race where nations and pharmaceutical companies worked to be the first to roll out effective vaccines against the virus.
While over 150 vaccine candidates are now undergoing laboratory or clinical or human trials, two of the most effective Covid-19 vaccines remain the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine with 95 percent effectiveness and the Moderna vaccine with 94.5 percent efficacy. This is in addition to the AstraZeneca vaccine which has 70 percent effectiveness.
Still, mention must be made that because of the unprecedented speed with which these vaccines were produced, a lot of people are skeptical about injecting them as concerns about their long-term health implications continue to mount.
The State of the World in Covid-19 Vaccine Prospection and Administration
The United Kingdom became the first country to authorise the use of a Covid-19 vaccine by granting emergency approval for the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which it ordered 40 million doses and 315 million doses of rival vaccines. On 8 December 2020, Britain became the first country to administer the first jab of Covid-19 vaccine on its citizens (outside human trials) as it began the initial phase of vaccinating twenty million Britons, comprising health workers and senior citizens who are 80 and above. There are palpable indications that the European Union, which is not due to decide until 29 December 2020, would likely follow suit in granting an emergency approval for the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Likewise, the Canadian government has approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and has acquired 20 million doses of the vaccine (with the option to buy additional 56 million doses) out of which 249,000 doses will be received this month. The initial vaccination is targeted at immunising or inoculating10 million Canadians against the virus.
The US is also on the verge of vaccinating all Americans as initial reports suggest that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the Pfizer/BioNTech human trial data satisfying and might likely grant emergency approval for its use. According to the President-elect, Joe Biden, the country aims to vaccinate one hundred million Americans in his first hundred days in office.
Meanwhile, Israel (which has already received the shipment of 8 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine) has indicated that it will begin the immediate vaccination of Isrealis once emergency approval is granted by the FDA. Also, in Japan, a Bill has been passed to ensure that all Japanese are vaccinated against Covid-19 for free. The country has already ordered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to cover up to 60 million Japanese (that is about 120 million doses) in addition to the Moderna vaccine to cover 25 million Japanese. Also, Japan has ordered 120 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Nigerian Situation
The National Assembly, the Senate in particular, has raised an alarm that the country seems to be ill-prepared to effectively vaccinate Nigerians against Covid-19. It warned that the government has not shown any specific and concrete plans on the prospective acquisition, distribution, and administration of Covid-19 vaccines. This is indeed worrisome, especially when we consider the report that only 1 out of 10 people would likely be vaccinated against Covid-19 in Africa, including Nigeria.
Worse still, in the immediate future, there is little hope that advanced countries would bail out developing countries (such as Nigeria) with massive doses of Covid-19 vaccines as every nation seems to prioritise local/national demands. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as saying that Covid-19 vaccines will be available in Nigeria from January 2021, it is widely believed that this is far from enough.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Government plans to inaugurate a National Covid-19 Vaccine Task Team to ensure the security of Covid-19 vaccines in Nigeria. Among other things, the Team will be tasked with generating strategies for the acquisition and deployment of Covid-19 vaccines.
However, because of the difficulty of vaccinating everyone at the same time, what we are yet to see (and in which direction the Government must act quickly) is an action plan as to the modalities for Covid-19 vaccination, including which group of Nigerians would get the first shots.
The Need to Forestall the Dangerous Prospect of Inequitable and Non-inclusive Covid-19 Vaccination
There is no gainsaying that during public health crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities bear the brunt most. This was largely seen at the early period of the Covid-19 pandemic where government measures at combating the virus were largely not inclusive of persons with disabilities. For instance, communications respecting the pandemic were made without considering the peculiar circumstances of persons with disabilities.
Given the circumstances, we have found ourselves seemingly lagging in drawing up a workable plan for the acquisition, distribution, and administration of Covid-19 vaccines and the possibility of a rush and clamour in the eventual administration of (limited) Covid-19 vaccines might have increased.
Therefore, as the Government (task team) goes about its duties, there is a need to take into account the peculiar circumstances of persons with disabilities. The Government should therefore develop a plan that speaks to these special realities. For instance:
- Communications, awareness, sensitisation, or information as to why, where, and how to get vaccinated should be inclusive.
- Alongside essential health workers at the frontline, persons with underlining health conditions, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups, persons with disabilities (and their caregivers.) should be among the first group of people to be vaccinated or prioritised for early vaccination.
- Vaccination centres should be accessible to persons with disabilities.
Furthermore, seeing as the Covid-19 testing has been monetised, any lure to monetise Covid-19 vaccines and/or vaccination should be frontally resisted. This is because such a situation would adversely affect persons with disabilities most of whom are often among the poorest of Nigerians, thereby delaying, if not excluding them from the vaccination process.
Conclusion
As we gravitate towards Covid-19 vaccine administration, greater care should be exercised to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in the vaccination process. More so, only health criteria and vulnerability should be used in the distribution and administration process. Of a truth, there is a tendency to politicise, eliticise, tribalise or ethnicise issues in Nigeria. These negative indices should be avoided as much as possible.
Bizibrains Okpeh is a lawyer and a disability rights advocate. Reach him at bizibrains@gmail.com
THIS IS THE OPINION OF THE WRITER, NOT THE POSITION AND OPINION OF THE QUALITATIVE MAGAZINE (TQM)
