Kenya Widens Vaccination Campaign As Infections Surge Again
Kenya will immediately commence vaccination of people who are 58 years and older against, the health ministry said amid surging coronavirus infections.
The announcement came on the backdrop of a third Covid-19 wave, which has stretched hospitals.
Government says the surge over the past couple of weeks, with a positivity rate peaking at 22.1%, necessitated the need to start vaccinating the elderly.
“They are at most risk of severe disease and account for 60% of our recorded deaths,” Willis Akhwale, head of the Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment Taskforce said in a statement.
The vaccination seeks to expand the first phase of inoculation that started March 5, targeting 1.25 million frontline workers, including health and security personnel and teachers.
Kenya has inoculated 64,100 people with AstraZeneca doses from the Covax initiative that’s designed to ensure equitable access to vaccines around the world.