This archive report was first published on 27 August 2021.
Kenya is set to receive a significant boost in its COVID-19 vaccination efforts with the expected arrival of 4.5 million vaccines by mid-September.
According to Dr. Willis Akhwale, the chairperson of the task force on vaccine deployment, the country had received approximately 3.6 million doses of both the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines and Moderna by August 21.
Dr. Akhwale revealed that Kenya anticipates 1.7 million doses of Pfizer vaccine by mid-September, 2 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine in September, and 893,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine between now and next month.
However, he noted that China's Sinopharm vaccine has not been licensed for administration to persons above 60 years.
The Ministry of Health insisted that the government will be the sole importer of vaccines, with Dr. Akhwale stating, "The only importer and distributor is the government, the gov't will facilitate the vaccine procurement even for the private sector."
Despite the challenges, the Health ministry urged Kenyans to get the vaccines, citing the high number of recent deaths among elderly individuals aged 60 and over.
Dr. Akwale also warned that waiting for a specific vaccine choice may be futile, saying, "If you wait for your vaccine choice, you may wait until you die…I know that is what is happening."
Dr. Joseph Sitienei, Head of the Department of Health Sector Monitoring, also urged those who have not received their second doses to do so, stating, "Some people may get the 1st jab and disappear. We are going to track those who have not gone for 2nd dose…one jab is not enough."
So far, about 3 percent of Kenya's population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
