Almost 13 percent of the 39 percent of the target population who have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccibe hadn’t returned to get second shot to protect them from pandemic, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
This raised fears that the country might not be able to attain it 70 percent vaccine benchmark on vaccine uptake by end of 2022. Experts says this gap points to the need to inform people about the importance of the second dose for their own protection and that of others in a pandemic.
Four out of the five vaccines use in Sierra Leone – the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, and Sinopharm — require that people get a second dose to get the maximum protection from the vaccines.
Why defaulting
Aminata Bangura, 25, said he took the first vaccine shot six months ago and could not take the second shot because he got information that the vaccine could lead to infertility. “This frightened me, and scatter my courage to take the second dose,” she said.
Joseph Kamanda is an engineer. He said when he took the first dose eight months ago, he experienced fever and headache which persisted for days. He said that he did not have any health condition which could have triggered those symptoms. He said when explained his experience to his colleagues, they advised him not to get the second shot. He said since then he did make any effort to get the second dose.
Some people are skipping their second dose because they don’t understand its significance.
Others refused the second dose because they think the first is enough and could offer the protection they need.
One dose is not enough
The Risk Communications Lead at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Harold Thomas, said that one shot is not enough to offer the maximum protection.
He said that It’s true that with the first dose there seems to be some degree of protection, starting a few weeks after the first shot.
He said that getting both doses is the best way to ensure protection against COVID-19.
He maintained that the purpose of the second dose is to make the antibody that is produced more specific, and boost the levels of antibodies.
On the issue of COVID-19 vaccine causing infertility, Thomas said that it not true, adding that there is no scientific evidence to support such assertion.
The Risk Communication Lead said in some people the vaccine may cause headache and other mild side effect. He said that these side effects are short-lived. He noted that no case of adverse reaction of the coronavirus vaccine has been recorded in Sierra Leone.
Andrew Kamara is a health communication expert. He said that government and development partners should make vaccination the easy and convenient choice. “They should make vaccines available in pharmacies, meeting places, workplaces, schools, markets, and wharfs,” he said.
He said that they should also do follow-up calls to encourage people to take the second dose. “This is possible because the contact details of people are recorded before the first shot is administered,” he said.
He said, in addition, government and partners should undertake robust public sensitization on the importance of the second dose. “Resources should be provided for the production jingles, flyers, posters, drama, etc., on the importance of the second shot,” he said.
This story was put together with support from Journalists for Human Rights and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) 2022 Journalism Fellowship
By Desmond Tunde Coker