CS Kagwe says COVID-19 vaccines could be delivered before end of January

The government now says the first batch of vaccines is on the way and Kenyans could begin getting the jabs as soon as this month.

Kenya expects to receive 24 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in February, as announced by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on January 7, 2021.

However, there is a possibility that vaccines other than AstraZeneca could arrive in the country before the end of this month.

“We are engaging institutions like GAVI, who gave us the date of February. But it is quite possible that with the private sector, we can get the vaccines earlier than the date GAVI has given us,” Kagwe said.

Health workers and other professionals working in the frontlines such as teachers will be given priority for vaccinations and the vaccination jabs will be voluntary.

Besides AstraZeneca, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, Kenya is also considering other vaccine candidates.

“We are not just looking at one vaccine. We are engaging on the Africa platform, with CDC Africa and having discussions on Moderna and even China’s Sinopharm,” the Health CS added.

With the low number of cases recorded in the recent past, the Health Ministry says this cannot be declared as flattening of the curve.

“We are yet to declare that the curve is flattened, we still have to assess the impact of the festivities and reopening of schools. Kenyans must maintain the containment measures,” said the CS.

As the country awaits the vaccine, the caseload rose to 98,555 on Wednesday after 123 people more people have tested positive for the virus from a sample size of 4, 948. The death toll stands at 1,945.