Kenya received a further 180,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday in a boost to ongoing vaccination efforts amid increased Covid-19 cases across the country.
The latest consignment, which was a donation from the Greek government, pushes the number of vaccines received in the country to 2,323,100.
Speaking at JKIA after receiving the consignment, National Taskforce on Vaccine Deployment Chair Dr. Willis Akhwale said the donation was a welcome boost to the ongoing vaccination exercise.
Akhwale said the government expects to have vaccinated 10 million people by the end of this year.
Speaking during the ceremony, Deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Greece in Kenya Counsellor Sotirios Demestichas, said the donation was a demonstration of the cordial relations between Kenya and Greece. EU deputy head of delegation Katrin Susanna HAGEMANN was among those who attended the ceremony.
As of August 5th, 2021, a total of 1,768,519 vaccines had been administered across the country with total first doses standing at 1,084,013 while 684,506-second doses had been administered. The proportion of adults fully vaccinated in the country stood at 2.5% by the close of Friday.
The first 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 government is conducting the vaccination free of charge.
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Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has indicated that more vaccine doses will be arriving in the country to boost the ongoing vaccination campaign.
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 Government of Kenya is currently prioritising second doses for health workers, teachers, other essential workers and people aged over 58.
