Kenya will get the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines any day from tomorrow.
Records indicate that the consignment might arrive on Tuesday. 24 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been ordered by the government to cater for 20 per cent of the Kenyan population.
In a schedule shared by Unicef, WHO and Gavi, frontline workers and people with pre-existing health conditions will be among the first persons to be vaccinated. This includes teachers, security personnel, vulnerable persons and hospitality sector workers.
The 2nd phase will run from July 2021 to June next year where 9.7 million more people will get the jab depending on the availability of the vaccines. The phase will target Kenyans above 18 years of age with underlying health conditions and those people aged above 50 years.
Plans by the Ministry of Health reveal that the 3rd phase of the vaccination initiative could go concurrently with the 2nd phase, depending on the availability of enough vaccines, to reach 4.9 million people who will combine all other vulnerable populations.
The government plans to reach at least 1.25 million Kenyans with the Covid-19 by June in the first phase of the vaccination drive.
“It is important to note that if vaccines become available sooner than expected and resources are available the targets may change,” Kagwe said.
Deployment and vaccination program will cost Kenya Sh34 billion over 30 months.
