This archive report was first published on 25 August 2021.
As of August 25, 2021, Kenya's COVID-19 death toll stood at 4,600, following the reporting of 36 late deaths after facility record audits in July and August.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced that 1,941 patients were admitted to various health facilities across the country, including 153 patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Additionally, 1,258 new cases were reported from a sample size of 9,868, bringing the total caseload to 232,052, with a positivity rate of 12.8 percent.
Meanwhile, 753 patients were discharged after recovering from the virus, pushing recoveries to 216,127.
Over 2.5 million people have been vaccinated, with 791,295 fully vaccinated.
The Ministry of Health expects to receive 4.5 million doses of various COVID-19 vaccines by mid-September, including 1.7 million doses of Pfizer and 2 million doses of Sinopharm, as well as 393,600 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
However, Sinopharm is not yet approved for those over 60 years old, according to Vaccine Deployment Taskforce Chairperson Willis Akhwale.
Akhwale emphasized the importance of vaccination, stating, "When it comes to prevention of severe disease, these vaccines are almost the same. There is no vaccine that is superior to the other. What you see in terms of comparison, is prevention of mild to moderate disease in different set ups. There has never been a study that compared the efficacy of these vaccines one to one."
He also called on Kenyans to take advantage of the availability of the vaccines and get vaccinated, saying that is the only way to attain herd immunity.
Currently, Kenya is administering AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines, with the option of choosing a specific vaccine type at vaccination centers.
