By Politico staff writer
The recent mass covid-19 vaccination drive by Focus 1000, a non-governmental organization in Sierra Leone with support from the Africa-CDC and other local and international partners have targeted commercial motorbike riders mostly from within Malen Chiefdom, in Pujehun district southern Sierra Leone.
Pujehun is one of the districts in the country with a high rate of vaccine skeptics according to research. This has been largely due to the many myths around the safety of the vaccines. While some believe that the vaccines can kill, rather than prevent someone from getting seriously sick or killed by the Coronavirus disease, others think that it causes other diseases and infertility.
Commercial motorbike rider, Tanu Fullah, represents this group of people who have been swayed by the campaign of vaccine skeptics. Even though he is concerned about the risk he faces with Covid-19, the fear of contracting unknown diseases or even dying, apparently outweighs that of the Covid-19 virus.
He said he will observe his colleagues who are taking the jab to see if it will turn out adverse on them, then he will decide on whether to take it himself.
“I know the risk associated with our job, which is that we take a lot of different kinds of people which exposes us to the virus. But the safety issues associated with the vaccine concerns me more. But with time, depending on how my colleagues do after taking the vaccine, I may change my mind,” he said.
In most parts of Sierra Leone, Okada, as the commercial motorbikes are called, is the most common form of transportation. In many places, it is in fact the only means of transportation. Such people rely on it to take even the sick to hospitals. This way the riders are at increased risk of contracting any infectious disease. It is for this reason that the organizers of the ongoing ‘Accelerated Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign’ deems it prudent to target the bikers, among many others.
Abdulai Brima is one of many bike riders who have taken the vaccine.
“I took the vaccine since August because I know that it is important as it protects us against Covid-19. We (Bike riders) take different kind of people on our bikes and that exposes us to the virus. So I know that the vaccine is important and that is why I took it,” he said.
The first phase of this vaccination campaign took place from September 27th to October 26th while the second phase started on November 1st and it is expected to come to an end at the end of the month.
A report by Kombra Network, a group of grassroots mobilizers, states that Pujehun had a target to vaccinate about 5,040 people in 30 days. But that the district ended up recording about 14, 579 people.
Mohamed Jalloh, District Operations Officer in charge of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, outlines the role the DHMT has been playing in Pujehun and how the involvement of the grassroots mobilisers have contributed.
“The involvement of FOCUS 1000 in the national vaccination effort is very important. It has led to increase in the coverage of vaccination. Most of the people who were unwilling to take the jabs have willingly come forward to take it, thanks to the involvement of FOCUS 1000. Most of them are happy because the campaign has made access to the vaccine easy. We have covered a lot of communities in the district through this campaign,” he said.
“At the DHMT, we are here to supervise it. We handle the vaccines to make sure that they are good to us. We also make sure that the vaccinators do their work properly,” he adds.
Kombra Network which comprises Market women, religious leaders, civil society activists, traditional healers, and journalists has been crucial in sensitization for the vaccination.
Reverend Michael Columba, a member of the Christian Action group (CHRISTAG), one of the components of the religious arm of the network, explains the role the network has played in Pujehun.
“The involvement of religious leaders has especially been a big part of this. We the religious leaders have been sensitizing our people. They know that we – Pastors and Imams – cannot wish evil for our people. So when we talk to them they take it seriously. We even go to the extent of showing them proof of vaccination and tell them that we cannot wish them evil,” he said.
He added “The Scripture tells us that: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. I cannot do anything that will destroy myself. So if I have taken the vaccine, and you see that everything is ok with me and I ask you to take it, that has created a huge impact in this district.”
Copyright © Politico Online 17/11/21
