The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib has reiterated that COVID-19 vaccine trains the body immune system to create antibodies.
She made this known in a recent chat with Newsmen.
Read Also: COVID-19: US Okays Vaccines For Children Under Five
Shuaib had also revealed that some of the vaccines also help the body to make antibodies that serve as proteins that fight off infections and diseases. He explained that if someone is vaccinated and comes in contact with a bacteria/virus that cause diseases, the system will recognise it and give some level of protection.
“The COVID-19 vaccination offers partial protection within two weeks of the first dose.
“This is why it is recommended that all doses of the vaccine are taken for longer-term protection against the virus”, he said.
The spike protein in the COVID-19 vaccine allows it to enter the human cells and guard the body, the NPHCDA boss added.
“This means that if you choose to take a vaccine, you are less likely to get severely sick if you encounter the virus,” he said.
Shuaib assured that the vaccines do not contain a live virus and cannot cause disease.
As of July 4, about 23,627,968 eligible persons across the country had been fully vaccinated. A total of 11,948,229 of the figure have been partially vaccinated in 36 states and the FCT.
The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations have also been certified for children aged five and younger by US health officials on Saturday, a move President Joe Biden hailed as a ‘monumental step’ in the fight against the virus.
As a result, the United States became the first country to allow the use of mRNA vaccines for children as young as six months old.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved their emergency use for young children on Friday, despite the fact that they were previously required to be at least five years old to receive the vaccination.
The vaccines, however, required additional approval from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation’s top public health agency, which they received on Saturday.
‘We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can,’ the CDC Director, Rochelle Walensky, said in a statement Saturday.