Kenya administers over 900,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Kenya’s Ministry of Health said on Monday the country had inoculated more than 900,000 people against COVID-19 amid intensified efforts to contain the pandemic.
The cabinet secretary in the ministry of health, Mutahi Kagwe, said in a statement that 917,068 persons had been vaccinated against the COVID-19 countrywide since the exercise began early March.
280,876 are aged 58 years and above, health workers 160,947, teachers 143,684, security officers 77,417 while 254,144 are in the others category.
He said the government was keen to boost COVID-19 vaccine uptake amid skepticism among sections of the population linked to misinformation about its side effects.
“Those who have been vaccinated are encouraged to report any side effects.
“Members of the public are encouraged to report adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine to the country’s drugs regulatory agency or nearest health facility for a speedy response,” Kagwe said.
Kenya is racing against time to inoculate high-risk groups including healthcare workers, the elderly and terminally ill against COVID-19 amid vaccine doses supply linked to the crisis in India.
Kagwe said in April the government was keen to diversify sources of vaccines against coronavirus to help plug a shortfall occasioned by the current global supply crunch.
The emergency use authorization for China’s Sinopharm vaccine by the World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to boost access to the life-saving commodity in Kenya and other developing countries.
Kenya has confirmed 163,620 COVID-19 cases, 112,298 recoveries and 2,907 fatalities as of Monday.
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Kamila/Xinhua
