Missed WHO Covid jab targets grave challenge

What you need to know:

  • The reluctance by many Kenyans to go for the jab, despite the availability of vaccines is a major setback.
  • Even before we talk of booster shots it is important that the people are encouraged to go for their full vaccination.

The Covid-19 cases burden is not easing much despite the spirited efforts by the health authorities to fight the pandemic. One of the biggest challenges is the poor vaccine uptake, which is way below the target of 40 per cent of adults set by the World Health Organisation. 

The reluctance by many Kenyans to go for the jab, despite the availability of vaccines and the establishment of many centres across the country, is a major setback. It has undermined the fight against the deadly virus, some 11 months since the first vaccine imports arrived.

However, there has been goodwill with the country receiving substantial vaccine donations, boosting the stocks in its stores countrywide.

As the experts have pointed out, vaccination is crucial in attaining the herd immunity needed to keep the disease at bay. So far, the statistics remain grim. The national positivity rate is at nearly 10 per cent with more than 319,000 confirmed cases and 5,500 deaths recorded. However, it is not all gloom as a spirited campaign has led to at least 287,140 recoveries.

And yet, there is serious concern that the country last month missed the global vaccination target. WHO is worried that Kenya is far from realising that goal, which would have gone a long way in easing the grave challenge from the viral disease. With only 4.9 million adults inoculated, it is a tall order trying to have 19 million people get the jab by June. And it will be even tougher vaccinating 27 million adults by year-end.

Besides, quite an ambitious programme it is to administer 20 million vaccine doses between this month and June to achieve the mid-year targets. Getting every one of the 47 counties fully involved is a sure bet and the Ministry of Health is not leaving anything to chance. It is a pity, therefore, that only 17.5 per cent of Kenyan adults have been vaccinated, compared to 60 per cent in many high-income countries.

Even before we talk of booster shots — the uptake of which Nairobi leads nationally — it is important that the people are encouraged to go for their full vaccination. This is absolutely essential in curbing the spread of Covid-19.