Kenya Receives Second Batch of 880,000 Doses of Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine

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Kenya on Monday, 6th September received the second batch of 880,320 doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.

Speaking at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while receiving the consignment, Health chief administrative secretary Dr. Rashid Aman said the donation from the US government will go a long way in supporting the ongoing vaccination drive that targets to vaccinate at least 10 million adults by the end of the year.

“You will recall that a fortnight ago on 23rd August, 2021, we received the first batch of 880,460 doses of Moderna Vaccines from the US Government and this second batch now completes the donations amounting to 1,760,780 from the US,” said Aman.

The health CAS said the country is making steady progress in its Covid-19 vaccination campaign with constraints arising from the global supply of the vaccines slowly fading away. This even as he challenged those who are yet to get vaccinated to do so.

“I want to reiterate our call to our people, particularly those who have not been vaccinated to turn up and get vaccinated now that we are having more vaccines. In the same breath, we appeal to those who took their first dose and are due for the second dose but have not turned up for it to please do so,” he said.

The health CAS said the country will only manage to get back to normal if Kenyans respond positively to the ongoing vaccination campaign.

“It’s important to remember that although the first dose provides one with some protection, full protection only comes about when one is fully vaccinated. Remember, for us to fully re-open our economy, we need to either have herd immunity or have our entire adult population fully vaccinated,” observed Rashid.

The latest consignment comes just three days after 141,600 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine which were procured directly by the Kenya government from South Africa under the Africa Union platform arrived in the country.

By Sunday, 5th September some 2,050,377 Kenyans had received their first dose while 812,151 Kenyans representing 2.98 per cent of the entire adult population are now fully vaccinated.

Kenya is prioritizing those aged above 58 years, health care workers, security officers and teachers, who remain at the highest risk of contracting the virus, in the ongoing vaccination drive.

The government is targeting to increase daily vaccination rates to 150,000 by December this year. Vaccination posts will also be increased from 800 to 3,000 by December with the number rising to 7,877 by June next year.

The first phase of vaccination began on 5th March 2021 with county vaccinations kicking off on 8th of March 2021. The second dose vaccination began on 28th May 2021. The rollout of the national vaccination campaign is being led by the Ministry of Health, with support from WHO, UNICEF, Gavi and other partners.

The post Kenya Receives Second Batch of 880,000 Doses of Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine appeared first on LitKenya.

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