Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccines: Concerns, Challenges, and Nigeria’s Plan

Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is available in Nigeria, The Nigerian Academy of Science in its  ‘COVID-19 webinar series’, themed COVID-19 Vaccines: Concerns, Challenges, and Nigeria’s Plan aims to discuss the principles of vaccination, public perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines, factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy, and how Nigeria can be better positioned for effective implementation of a COVID-19 vaccine deployment plan.

Speakers

• Professor Richard Adegbola FAS: Professor Adegbola is an Independent Consultant in Immunization and Global Health. He worked with GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines as Global Director, Scientific Affairs & Public Health until March 2018. He is a Research Professor and Consultant at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR). He will speak on ‘Overview of Vaccines: What, Why, and How?’ at the webinar.

• Dr. Yahya Disu: He is the Head of Risk Communication Division at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chairman of National Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Technical Working Group, and member of the RCCE Pillar of Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. Dr. Disu will be speaking on ‘Disease Containment: NPIs versus Vaccines’.

• Professor Oyewale Tomori FAS – Professor Tomori is a professor of virology, and Chairman, Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Health Sector Response (MEACoC-HSR). As Chairman of the Nigeria Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization from 2004 to date, he was instrumental to Nigeria’s efforts to eradicate polio in the country. Professor Tomori would speak on ‘Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy: Lessons from Polio Eradication’ at the webinar.