By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
FREETOWN, Oct. 15 (232News) – FOCUS1000 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, AFENET and Africa CDC have embarked on an accelerated Covid-19 vaccination nationwide.
The month long exercise which started on the 27th September 2021 is scheduled to end on 27th November 2021 targeting over 80,000 (Eighty Thousand) Sierra Leoneans. The main objective is for Sierra Leoneans to have unhindered access to the coivd19 vaccine.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FOCUS1000, Alhaji Mohamed Bailor Jalloh said that vaccination is the most powerful tool in the world in fighting diseases. He said vaccination has eradicated Smallpox which could presently not be found anywhere in the world over. Vaccination has also been used to fight against diseases like tetanus, polio and measles, which could also not be found anywhere in the world. He said that now that corona has been rampaging the world it is only vaccination that could be used to fight against corona and make sure it is eradicated. He reminded Sierra Leoneans to continue observing the covid19 precautions like washing of hands with soap and water, continue wearing the masks and observing social distancing. He confirmed that he himself has taken the vaccine.
One hundred teams have been deployed in all sixteen districts in the country with over three hundred nurses and one hundred mobilizers drafted in the exercise. Members of the Kombra Network which include Religious Leaders, Market Women, Traditional Healers, CSOs and the media have also been deployed to monitor the exercise.
Parliamentarians, football players and fans, traders, farmers as well as students have been seen queuing anxiously to take the vaccines from the stationary as well as mobile teams. At the Madina in the Tonko Limba Chiefdom, while monitoring the process Dr. Abu Pratt who is the Project Director of FOCUS1000 dispelled false claims about the effect of the vaccine especially those peddled on social media such as that in which the area of vaccination lights up a light bulb. He said as a medical person and an elderly statesman, he will not go around lying to people as he himself has taken the vaccine. He accepted that there will be slight side effects in some cases as with all other vaccines but that the vaccine will not kill anyone.
In Freetown, over one hundred people, mostly youths queued at the Atouga Mini Stadium to take the vaccine. In Port Loko, the Chairman of the FOCUS1000 Board Sheikh AbuBakarr Conteh expressed appreciation over work done by the Kombra Network during the accelerated covid19 vaccine campaign.
The Field Marshal and President Traditional Healers Sierra Leone Dr. Alhaji Sulaiman Kabba also lend his voice by calling on Sierra Leoneans to take the Covid19 vaccination. Displaying his vaccination card he said he himself had taken the vaccine. He called on all sorcerers, secret society members and traditional healers to hurriedly take the Covid19 vaccine as Covid is a fatal disease. He said the vaccine is free and available all over the country. He said they should dispel the rumours that the vaccine was fatal and that it is safe to take the vaccine. Challenges were also made by both Christian and Muslim Religious leaders
FOCUS1000 has over the years proved to be the leading health and sanitation NGOs in the country. FOCUS1000 is a non-profit national development agency in Sierra Leone that is committed to making the best investment in the most crucial time in a child’s life; the first 1000 days – the number of days from conception and pregnancy until the child reaches two years. FOCUS1000 partners with the government, UN agencies, and other local and international organisations to promote simple, cost effective and high impact interventions that can help build a solid foundation for children to survive, thrive and develop to become productive citizens.
