The vaccine against COVID-19 is no different to any other vaccine: It is a prevention, not a cure.

But it has also proved to be safe and effective, protecting those inoculated from the worst – up to 80% − symptoms of the virus.

Babagana Abiso, the director for disease control in the Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said even those who had been inoculated should continue to adhere to the safety protocols put in place to stop the spread of the virus.

If they stopped taking precautions, they stood a chance of getting infected or reinfected, he said.

Abiso said most people showed at least some symptoms of the virus but there were others who were asymptomatic, so there was no obvious sign that they were infected.

People with low immune systems and comorbidities – and those with cancer and autoimmune diseases – should take every precaution against COVID-19. The elderly – from 60 years and upwards – also fell into the high-risk groups.

Abiso said that just as civilian joint task forces, town announcers, politicians and traditional leaders joined together to help eradicate poliomyelitis in Nigeria, the same kind of cooperation was needed to get rid – or at least reduce the rate – of COVID-19 infections.

For the more inaccessible communities, hard-to-reach teams would be formed to ensure every eligible person would be vaccinated and protected.

He said one of the new protocols that had been put in place by the Borno State government was that citizens needed to check their status.

The first phase of the vaccine roll-out was almost completed – the inoculation of all those at the frontline of the pandemic, such as medical staff and essential services personnel.

It was hoped that the second phase would begin towards the end of May.

Even when all those eligible had been vaccinated, citizens were encouraged to observe the safety protocols that included regular hand washing, keeping a safe distance from and not coming into close contact with others, not attending large gatherings and always wearing a mask.

Just more than 3.4-million people in the world had died since the World Health Organisation confirmed the emergence of the Coronavirus in December 2019; more than 2,000 Nigerians had succumbed to the virus.

• Comorbidity in the context of COVID-19 refers to existing chronic diseases that could put people at a higher risk of developing complications if they were infected. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, the top five comorbidities are hypertension, obesity, chronic lung conditions, such as tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and cystic fibrosis, diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, such as coronary heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure.

Other individuals at risk are older adults, aged 60 and over, people with autoimmune illnesses as well as compromised or suppressed immune systems due to cancer treatments or steroids. Pregnant women were also at a slightly higher risk.

The most important ways to protect yourself against the severity of the disease are:

• Boost your immune system with Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc;
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle and eating habits and exercise regularly;
• Continue with your usual treatment – make sure you never miss out on even a day of medication;
• Monitor and control your blood pressure if you suffer from hypertension;
• Monitor and control your glucose levels if you have diabetes;
• If you suffer from obesity, make every effort to lose weight;
• Make sure you have an adequate supply of medicine;
• Reduce exposure to tobacco smoke;
• Get seven to eight hours of sleep;
• Keep well hydrated, preferably by drinking water; and
• Take care of your mental health by remaining calm and positive – try not get caught up in a cycle of stress.