The third wave of Covid-19 is wreaking damage across the country.
The recent upsurge of infections and deaths has made the government to announce new stringent measures to avert the worst. The survival of each and every Kenyan will largely depend on how they behave. We must therefore continue washing hands, maintaining social distance and wearing face masks.
However, only vaccines have the likelihood of ending this daymare. Luckily, we already have slightly over a million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Covax facility and India, and immunisation is underway. With our huge population, this amount is, however, a drop in the ocean. We urgently need millions of other doses.
That’s why reports that the private sector has chipped in and has started importing vaccines are refreshing. We need all hands on deck to ensure that as many Kenyans as possible are vaccinated.
But even as we welcome private sector’s participation in this noble undertaking, we ask the government to be eternally vigilant to ensure that only approved, quality vaccines are imported. And not only that. The vaccines must be sold at a reasonable price.
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We say this because of the lessons we have learnt in the past year. We have seen face masks and PPE, some of dubious quality, costing an arm and a leg. The level of greed in this country is out of this world.
Luckily, we already have an idea of how much pharmaceutical companies are selling their vaccines. For instance, the manufacturer of Sputnik V is selling the vaccine at less than $10 (Sh1,097) per dose, Pfizer is selling at around $20, Moderna ($15-25) and AstraZeneca ($4).
With that in mind, why would these vaccines cost five or 10 times their buying price when brought to Kenya?
Of course we are aware that there are other costs involved like transport, storage and labour. But still, selling a vaccine at thrice or 10 times its original price will be deemed exorbitant by many.
That’s where the government comes in. It should do the math and come up with the best price for each vaccine. The government must protect Kenyans.
It must not allow anyone to make obscene profits or to hawk fake vaccines.
It should not leave private players to determine the prices of vaccines as it does with other goods. It must control the prices. For heaven’s sake, we are in the middle of a pandemic. Lives have been lost and many others are on the line.
No one should be allowed to make a fortune from our misfortune again. No one.
