Africa-Press – Tanzania. AS the country continues to rollout Covid -19 vaccine, Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) has explained its role in ensuring its safety and efficacy.
TMDA Acting Director of Medical Products Control, Dr Yonah Hebron Mwalwisi allayed fear on safety of the Covid-19 vaccines since the agency is well acquainted with their development.
“There have been concerns about safety of the vaccines and chemical composition …I want to assure the public that TMDA is well aware of the Johnson &Johnson vaccine being rolled out in the country including the proteins and ingredients used,” Dr Mwalwisi said during a national dialogue on Covid-19 held recently in Dar es Salaam.
The dialogue was organised by the Tanzania Health Summit to discuss various issues related to Covid-19, so as to encourage and motivate the community on pandemic vaccination.
He explained that when vaccines are listed for emergency use by the World Health Organisation (WHO), TMDA participates in their assessment.
According to the Minister for Health Community Development, Gender Elderly and Children Dr Dorothy Gwajima, the government has so far approved five vaccines to be used in the country; they include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac. The vaccines have also been endorsed by WHO.
“TMDA officials are very aware of these vaccines including processes of developing them and what is currently going on,” Dr Mwalwisi said.
He said that, the agency also is allowed by law to cooperate with other institutions by exchanging information which allows them to make scientific decision on issues related to safety and efficacy of vaccines being used in the country.
He further noted that, when the vaccines are listed by WHO, TMDA is participating in the process by ensuring that it acquired detailed information from when the vaccines started to be developed and when it is tested in animals to evaluate its safety and potential to prevent disease.
“We also ensure that we get information when it is tested in human in three phases including when is given to a small number of volunteers, to several hundred volunteers and thousands of volunteers and finally when it is listed for emergency use,” Dr Mwalwisi said.
According to Dr Mwalwisi TMDA also took part in safety surveillance of the vaccines and side effects which may occur as they continue to be administered in the country.
He also noted that, before the vaccines are imported into the country, TMDA in collaboration with other local agencies ensure that they have met the required standards.
During the inauguration of vaccination exercises late last month, President Samia Suluhu Hassan led government officials and religious leaders in taking Covid-19 jab, saying the vaccine was safe and that many Tanzanians have shown their readiness to get it.
“The vaccines is so safe, that is why I have decided to take this shot, as you know, I’m a mother of four children, a grandmother, wife and above all, the President and Commander-In- Chief of the armed forces, there is no way I can put my life at risk of being inoculated if the vaccine weren’t safe.”
Receiving vaccine consignment On July 24, this year, Dr Gwajima assured the public that the vaccine was safe after first being verified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and later by Tanzania through its internal verification processes which was the same procedure applied for other imported vaccines.
