MUTAHI KAGWE ISSUES COVID VACCINE DIRECTIVES.

The Covid-19 vaccine will be available to those who wish to receive it, the Health ministry has said, ruling out a mandatory vaccination drive.

CS Mutahi Kagwe on Friday further noted that the ministry has already ordered for the Oxford vaccines, with protocols already issued on who will be the first to receive the vaccine.

“We have ordered vaccines and we have made it clear also that we have got the protocols we are going to use to ensure that we start with the healthcare workers because those are the first line,” the CS said.

“We have got a system which we have issued to indicate who will be first to be offered the vaccines and it is important to use that word offered because there is no mandatory vaccination of anybody, it is for those people who would wish to do so.”

Those in the first line to receive the vaccine will also include the police, teachers  and students.

The ministry is also in negotiations with other vaccine manufacturing companies such as Pfizer to ensure the country does not rely on one vaccine type alone.

“We are looking at all the vaccines that have been approved by the World Health Organisation. The ideal thing to do is to use several so that we can increase the chances of efficacy,” Kagwe said.

Kenya joined in the clinical trials for the AstraZeneca vaccine with updates from the Kemri Wellcome Trust Team in charge of the exercise saying the initial has shown promising results.

The vaccine was made by incorporating genetic material from SARS-CoV-2 virus into the ChAdOx1 adenovirus vaccine platform that has a well-established track record in terms of its ability to safely elicit immune responses in humans when used for other diseases.

Siurce: The Star