Ndudi Anyim
The Kenyan government has said it hopes to get at least 1.25million Kenyans vaccinated by June, even as it is expected to get its first batch of Covid-19 vaccines in days.
Although there are unconfirmed reports that the vaccines may land the country on Tuesday, the Kenya government said it is expecting 24 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, enough for 20 per cent of the population.
Gavi had said it will initially supply just a few doses to cover frontline workers and people with pre-existing health conditions (4,176,000 doses, according to a schedule shared by Unicef, Gavi and the WHO).
In a Cabinet meeting, it was revealed that the first batch of the vaccines will be given to health care workers, frontline workers including security personnel and teachers, vulnerable persons and hospitality sector workers.
According to a brief prepared by the Council of Governors and presented to the counties ahead of rollout, deployment and vaccination plan for the programme will cost Sh34 billion over 30 months.
Meanwhile, the death toll in the country due to Covid-19 continued to rise after two more patients succumbed to the virus on Sunday, with 325 more people testing positive from a sample size of 3,282.
In a statement, the Health CS Mutahi Kagwe confirmed a total of 347 patients were admitted while 1,495 patients were on home-based isolation and care.
“Fifty eight patients are in the intensive care unit, 26 of whom on ventilator support and 28 on supplemental oxygen. Four patients are under observation,” Kagwe said.
Speaking on the section and their phase of vaccination, the Health CS said: “ The second phase is expected to run from July 2021 to June 2022 during which 9.7 million more Kenyans will receive the jab depending on availability of the vaccines.
“ The target population in this phase will be Kenyans aged above 50 years and those above 18 years of age with underlying health conditions. The second phase and third phase could run concurrently depending on availability of vaccines, with the hope of reaching 4.9 million people who will include all other vulnerable populations. ”