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Deliveries via the Covax system are late. The health authorities have therefore just announced an increase in the time between the first and second injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine. It goes from 8 to 12 weeks and prioritizes the first doses. A situation that worries the population when the country has been fighting for several weeks against a third wave of the epidemic. On Sunday, April 25, the Ministry of Health counted 469 new people tested positive for Covid-19 and 19 new deaths.
as reported from Nairobi,Albane Thirouard
The Kenyan authorities wanted to calm down. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that those who have received their first dose of AstraZeneca can receive their second within the 12-week deadline,” repeated Mercy Mwangangi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health. According to Mercy Mwangangi, the first vaccinated person will receive his second injection in early June.
Injections which, however, depend on the arrival of new doses. Because if Kenya has received just over one million AstraZeneca vaccines in early March via the Covax unit, the stock is almost sold out. More than 822,000 first doses have already been administered.
Health authorities said on Saturday that they would do everything possible to ensure a timely supply. Discussions are said to be ongoing with several pharmaceutical companies, says Mercy Mwangangi, without specifying which ones. A second Covax delivery is also expected at the end of May. But that is due to the development of the situation in India, a major producer of vaccines. India, which is facing an explosion in the epidemic, has reduced its exports and prioritized its people.
Meanwhile, in Kenya, the health situation is still difficult. Several hospitals warn of a lack of space for resuscitation and a reduction in oxygen reserves.
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