The Ministry of Health has directed the immediate prioritization of vaccinations of persons aged 58 & above.
Immediate vaccination for ages 58 and above
Woman getting vaccinated in Kenya
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In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry said this group will be a priority in the ongoing phase 1 vaccination exercise.
Dr Willis Akhwale, Chairman of the Covid-19 Vaccine Development Taskforce, said that the prioritization is aligned to the recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Taskforce on Vaccine Deployment.
“In view of this surge of the pandemic, and in order to protect and save lives, the Ministry of Health has decided to immediately prioritize vaccinations of persons aged 58 & above. According to our data, these are at most risk of severe disease and account for 60% of our recorded deaths. This group of persons will now be a priority target group under the ongoing phase 1 vaccination exercise,” reads the statement.
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Dr Willis Akhwale, Chair Covid-19 Vaccine Development Taskforce
Pulse Live Kenya
Dr Akhwale urged political, religious and community leaders to take the vaccine so as to boost confidence in the overall vaccination process among vaccination target groups.
The country is currently experiencing the 3rd wave of Covid-19 pandemic with an increasing number of cases, hospitalizations and death.
The Ministry had, on Wednesday, confirmed 1,540 new cases of Covid-19, from a sample size of 9,348.
The new cases bring the total infections in the country to 124,707.
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18 patients have succumbed to the virus, bringing total deaths to 2,066.
