Low turnout for jab during festive season

Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) Health worker inject a jab during COVID-19 vaccination drive at Kencom stage in Nairobi on December 23,  2021. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The Covid-19 vaccination rate has drastically dropped during this festive season irrespective of the high number of infections.

Two out of every five Kenyans have Covid-19, leading to a positivity rate of 37.6 per cent.

This is despite the government directive that people who have not been vaccinated would not access public and government services.

Acting Director of Medical Services Dr Andrew Mulwa said prior to the Christmas season, approximately 140,000 doses were being administered during weekdays and 40,000 over weekends, but the figures that have dropped to 22,000.

“We have been monitoring vaccination centres and the number of people turning up is low. We are therefore re-establishing pre-Christmas vaccination plans to reach the 10 million shots,” said Mulwa.

As of yesterday, 9, 579, 456 doses had been administered, out of which, 5,639,933 people had received the first shot with 3,939,523 being fully vaccinated.

The uptake of the second dose stood at 55.7 per cent with the proportion of adults fully vaccinated being 55. 7 per cent.

Dr Mulwa is confident that 10 million doses will be administered by end of the month.

He said that the 10 million figure represents the number of shots given.

To boost uptake of the jabs, the Health ministry is engaging county governments and their health executives to ramp up uptake of the vaccines.

“Counties have been directed to resume vaccination levels that were being done before Christmas break,” he said.

The ministry is also targeting social places like beaches at the Coast and informal settlements in urban areas and cities.

He said that uptake of vaccine is a complex exercise that involves establishing centres, getting vaccines and having people get vaccinated.

“We have re-established communications strategy, social mobilisation to have people vaccinated. Messages are being passed through community leaders to ensure people show up for vaccination,” said Mulwa. “We are coming up with healthcare system of moving to where people are able to access the vaccines”.

The ministry is also planning to vaccinate 27 million adults including teenagers by 2022.

As of yesterday, 14, 654 persons aged between fifteen and eighteen years had been vaccinated.

Mulwa said the ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Education to increase uptake of the shots among learners.

Dr Mulwa said during the festive season, the majority of Kenyans also threw caution to the wind.

“In September, November and the first week of December, we had low infection rates but there is some level of comfort and there is a need to adhere to basic control measures,” he added.

Increased infection in the country is attributed to Omicron, which is predominant and has overtaken other variants that are also in circulation.

According to Mulwa, unlike in the past when symptoms were more severe, and people would isolate, the majority of the population have not tested for the virus.

“We are dealing with a more transmissible variant that is accounting for highest infections. A lot of people have not been tested, increasing risk of spread, unlike in the past,” he said.

Mulwa pleaded with individuals with symptoms to isolate themselves for about 10 days to avoid infecting the general population.

He defended the Health ministry’s rollout of booster vaccines saying it will boost immunity which wanes.

“Research has shown antibody against Covid-19 wane after six months and WHO has warned that unless everyone gets vaccinated, infections will continue to spread,” he said.

As per the ministry’s record, the elderly contribute to at least 16 per cent of infections, and 70 per cent of deaths. This is the population that will be given priority in the booster shots rollout programme.

The Ministry’s directive that all people in need of public services must provide Covid-19 certificates is also not being adhered to.

But Mulwa maintained that measures set by the National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus shall be enforced with time.