Kenya to start administering Covid-19 booster shots

Kenya will offer Covid-19 booster shots to individuals six months after their initial shots, the health ministry said in a document published on Saturday, a day after the country logged its highest rate of positive Covid-19 tests.

Kenya last month said it would demand proof of vaccination to access public spaces and transport from December 21.

The move met with a combination of bemusement, dismissal and occasional spot enforcement, given the country’s low vaccination rate.

By Friday, just over 14% of Kenyan adults had been fully vaccinated.

A court has since halted the proof of vaccination measure amid uncertainty over who “would police” it and what to do about people unable to access vaccines.

The East African country confirmed the presence of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the country almost two weeks ago and on Friday registered nearly 33% positive cases from a little more than 9,000 Covid-19 tests.

The ministry statement on Friday also said that the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine should be offered to children over 15 years old.

Kenya uses the AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Reuters/Olajumoke Adeleke