NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 23 – The Ministry of Health has announced plans to roll out COVID-19 booster shots in the country in January 2022 with the view of reducing virus-related hospitalizations.
The Chairperson of the COVID-19 vaccination taskforce, Willis Akhwale said on Wednesday that the government will soon issue the guidelines on how the shots will be administered.
However he noted that the government was still prioritizing utilizing the already existing vaccine doses in the country.
“We are going to recommend booster shots. So far we are utilizing 154,000 vaccinations in a day and this is a trajectory that we are going to maintain throughout December,” Akhwale said.
A booster shot is an additional dose of a vaccine given after the protection provided by the original shot(s) has begun to naturally decrease over time.
Acting Director General of Health, Patrick Amoth emphasized the need for Kenyans to take vaccines, citing studies that have shown a reduction in one’s chance of being hospitalized due to COVID-19.
He further urged Kenyans, who are yet to be vaccinated, to visit their nearest health facility to get the jab.
“We have recorded that 67 percent of those admitted in critical care are not vaccinated, while 5 percent are fully vaccinated. Even without an additional shot, you can see the protection accorded either by a single shot or a double shot of the vaccine for it can offer you close to almost 70 per cent of protection against COVID,” he said.
Kenya is currently deploying AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in the nationwide vaccination drive.
As of December 22, the country had vaccinated dispensed 9.3 vaccines with the government aiming to vaccinate 10 million adults by December 25.
The Ministry of Health announced that so far 3.7 million Kenyans had been fully. Despite the figure falling far below the 10 million target, the ministry maintained it will mobilize resources to reach a targeted population of 27,246,033.
On November 21, the government announced a radical plan aimed at supporting the ongoing COVID vaccination campaign, threatening to withhold key services from Kenyans who fail to take vaccines.
Despite a court order staying the directive, the government insisted the directive was in force after a 30-day notice lapsed.
Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna announced on Tuesday that the government directive was in force, saying unvaccinated Kenyans will only access web-based government services following the expiry of the month-long deadline set by the government.
He stated that the move will ensure the protection of service providers, pointing out that the government was not willing to expose its workers through contact with unvaccinated people.
“When you want services and you haven’t been vaccinated, make a phone call… I want us to understand that vaccination is very important in the sense that it protects you from the virus and in the event that you contract the virus, the jab will help reduce the effects of the virus,” Oguna said.
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