Indian High Commissioner to Kenya Dr Virander Kumar (L) hands over Covid-19 vaccine donation to CS Mutahi Kagwe. [Saada Hassan, Standard]
An Air India plane ferrying 100,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) this evening.
The doses are a donation from the Indian government to Kenya and will serve as a boost towards the Covid-19 vaccination program rolled out last week.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and other health officials received the vaccines at JKIA on Thursday. Also in their company was the Indian High Commissioner to Kenya Dr Virander Kumar who termed the donation as a step forward in strengthening relations between Kenya and India.
Kagwe said he is confident that the vaccines are in good order as he encouraged Kenyans to come out to get vaccinated in large numbers.
The CS expressed confidence in the vaccine saying some countries have just suspended it but it is still in use in several others.
“We have used our vaccines for a week and it's too soon to tell its effect, we are also carrying out tests to determine its effectiveness,” he said.
Denmark becomes the latest to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine linking it to causing blood clots.
100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrive in Kenya. [David Gichuru, Standard]
Kenya received its first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week, produced by the Serum Institute of India.
The country received 1.02 million vaccines from the Covax facility, with vaccination rolling out, targeting priority groups e.g medical workers and teachers.
