From the interactions I have had with people, most of have some level of distrust and expressed reservations about the vaccine.
Some say it might be unsafe because not adequate time was taken for its development while others think there is a hidden agenda behind the whole whole pandemic and the vaccines.
In summary, it already is unpopular in Nigeria. Much work needs to be done to sensitise people about it.
Its a multi-dynamic situation;
First, the infection spread of the virus hasnt been as anticipated for Nigeria, people sometimes think maybe there arent much local spread but more of caseload from visitors coming back from high risk areas. Secondly, people have recovered without the ongoing vaccine using maybe ethnomedicinal therapies, zinc, etc.
Africa has a continent hasnt really been affected with the virus aside the new variant ongoing in South Africa. So i think the vaccine should be useful in more prone areas and country and lesser need within Africa for now.
Africans, especially Nigerians, usually believe in signs and wonders. That is to say, they are easily convinced only when there are available proven results and/or solid effectiveness been felt and/or seen. With the news circulating, about the pessimism gripping the covid-19 vaccines, the Nigerians I know would neither subscribe to the vaccination let alone use it.
Presently, Nigerians have lost that intense fear of covid-19. This is evident as the Dec. 31st crossover nights few Nigerian State governments sanctioned to curtail the 2nd phase of covid-19, still held in some parts of the states where such restrictions were to be maintained.
Similarly, even when the pandemic was still intensely fresh and toxic, my dear Nigerians only adhered to one of the preventive guidelines that was extremely affordable to embrace -the use of fabric nose covers which were and are still selling at the rate of N100/N50 (Ajayi and Seyi-gbangbayau, 2020). Therefore, the above analysis could serve as a premise to conclude that the use of covid-19 vaccination is likely to be unpopular in Nigeria.
Best regards!
Dear Funsho Babarinde
Poor education/enlightenment and mass orientation has been the bane of vaccinations and inoculations in third world countries. Nigeria is, surely, not an exception.
I have spoken with a few people here in Nigeria and Europe who doubt the existence of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the creation of more awareness by relevant authorities on the need for vaccination against contracting the disease would encourage health conscious people to take the vaccination.
Nigerians are not known to reject vaccination. So Covid-19 vaccination will be popular in Nigeria, especially vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, Russia Sputnik V, AstraZeneka, Novavax, etc.
Nigeria expects to receive 41 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the African Union, the head of the country's primary healthcare agency said on Monday, while the health minister said vaccines from Russia and India were being considered. https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN2A13FS
Nigeria is working on what type and quantity of COVID-19 vaccines to procure and will make financial provision for them in its 2021 budget. Africa's most populous nation has not been as hard-hit by the pandemic as others on the continent, such as South Africa, but it is in the grip of a second wave of infections. Nigerian authorities have previously said the country is working with the COVAX programme backed by the World Health Organization and expects to receive its first doses https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN29H1ED
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