Government confirms January vaccine, teachers to get first jab

Thursday, December 17, 2020 -Kenyan teachers and police officer will be the first group of persons who will be benefiting from the first batch of Covid-19 vaccine to arrive early January.

Addressing members of the public over the state of health in the country, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe confirmed that the country had already ordered 24 million doses of the vaccine and which will cover upto 20 percent of Kenya’s population.

Oxfrod University-AstraZeneca Vaccine, according to the Ministry of Health, will be the most used in the country against Pfizer and Moderna drugs from United States.

Mutahi further listed health workers, police and the elderly as the most vulnerable group which must be considered first before anyone else.

Those whose jobs force them to mingle in crowded areas, those with more medical conditions and the children, will also be considered quicker.

There settling on the UK-made vaccine was informed by the fact that this can be stored in an ordinary fridge unlike Moderna and Pfizer vaccines which are expensive to keep safe.

“The ministry and the Kenya Medical Research Institute are carrying out tests. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored in an ordinary fridge, unlike the Pfizer one, which has to be kept in extremely cold temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius,” noted CS Kagwe.

The CS also added that the UK type of vaccine was cheaper as compared to others in the market for now which he termed quite economical for this nation.

In US already Pfizer–BioNtech Vaccine is on high distribution around all the States.