President Uhuru Kenyatta claims that half of the COVID-19 vaccines in Kenya have gone unused, and he has urged Kenyans to acquire the vaccine to protect themselves from the virus.
Kenyatta was speaking during a joint session of the National Assembly and the Senate on Tuesday, when he delivered his 2021 State of the Nation Address.
Uhuru urged Kenyans to take personal action to help the government meet its December 25 target of inoculating 10 million people.
The Head of State also urged Kenyans to remain careful in the wake of the new Omicron Covid-19 version, which has resulted in border restrictions in Southern African countries.
The coronavirus-induced crisis impacted Kenya’s economy, as it did countries around the world, as limitations enacted to combat the epidemic lowered earnings and hampered growth.
The recovery has begun this year, but a shortage of COVID-19 vaccinations and new waves of infections, fueled by the introduction of new and more infectious varieties, could slow it down.
After declining 0.3 per cent last year due to the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic, the finance ministry anticipates 6% growth in 2021.
The annual increase in the second quarter was 10.1 per cent, up from 4.7 per cent in the same quarter the previous year.
According to data from the statistics office, the recovery was aided by a rebound in most industries and the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.
Even as countries increase their containment measures against the new COVID-19 strain, which now threatens to paralyze the global economy, the rallying cry comes.
The Omicron strain was discovered in South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong, and it carries 32 mutations, triggering travel bans from South African countries in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Israel, and the European Union.
"As this new variation profile is unknown at this time, it is best to err on the side of caution by having our vaccines," he stated. "By doing so, we will have played our part in securing not just our own lives but also the lives of those around us."
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
