Health Services Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth was among 10 other recipients of the very first COVID-19 Vaccine program in the country. – By Gerald Gekara.
He was then accompanied by the Kenyatta National Hospital CEO alonside other health workers at the function.
After vaccination they will rest for 30 minutes before they are discharged.
The reciepients will then have their next dose after 8 weeks time
Dr. Amoth, who has been at the frontline in addressing the pandemic, said the doses would be free for all giving health workers the first priority.
“We are starting with healthcare workers because they are essential and they take care of the rest of us. This is because if you fall sick and the health worker is sick who will take care of you.” Dr. Amoth said.
The vaccination campaign is expected to continue for the rest of the year, with UNICEF officials urging Kenyans to take up the vaccination campaign implying they are safe.
Kenya recieved 1.02 Million doses of the vaccine, through the COVAX platform which targets developing countries in the roll out.
Vaccine Conspiracies
While flagging off the vaccine program President Uhuru Kenyatta urged Kenyans to shun superstition and take up the vaccine as it will save their lives.
The President said Government has put in place robust policy measures on how the vaccination campaign will be conducted and advised the media to seek information from the right sources.
“Our policy and it has been clearly stated that we will start with frontline workers. I would appeal to members of the fourth estate to stop disseminating rumours.
“We met as Cabinet and made it very clear that the first persons to be administered with this vaccine shall be our frontline health workers. That is category number one.
“They (health workers) will be followed by our category number 2, who will be our security forces, who also due to the nature of their work are equally frontline workers,” the President stated.
