The Director-General of Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, Prof. Babatunde Lawal Salako, says people who refuse to take COVID-19 vaccine are exposing the rest of the country to danger.
He said this at the 16th Ramadan lecture of the University of Lagos Muslim Community (UMC), Lagos state.
“When people refuse to be vaccinated, that simply means Nigeria will not reach herd immunity. When we do not reach herd immunity, it means that the infection will raid on and if an infection continues to rage, it means people will continue to die,” Salako said.
“If you refuse to take the vaccine you are not only doing a disservice to yourself, but you are also doing a disservice to the rest of us in the community,” he said.
“…for every new drug, there will be a side effect. There is no perfect drug. In fact, all drugs are poison and they should not be taken unless it is absolutely necessary. Even the common paracetamol that we take has side effects, but your chances of living longer are much better than the side effect that you are going to get.”
The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Oyo State, Dr. Taofeek Abdul-Hameed, said the pandemic has proven to the entire world that we are nothing.
“Had it been those that said they have the power to heal really have the power they ought to go to the isolation center to heal those who are infected with the virus,” he said.
“Muslims should, therefore, pray for Allah’s help and protection, and obey Allah, His Prophet, adhere to government instructions.
“It has been widely recognised that preparing for a pandemic is a community effort that we should all take part to reduce the impact of this virus in our communities and the world.”
