Keeping people safe should be the top priority
Members of the public, wearing masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19, wait for passenger service vehicles along Latema Road in Nairobi on April 12, 2021.
The second quarter of 2021 finds us in the midst of a third wave of coronavirus infections. The rapid increase in positive cases, hospital admissions, intensive care unit admissions, oxygen shortages and deaths has been debilitating.
The confirmed presence of virus variants in Kenya, in particular the UK variant (B117) and the South Africa variant (B1351), is said to be a key factor increasing community infections. A key intervention would be expeditious procurement and dissemination of Covid-19 vaccines.
Kenyan volunteers took part in the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine trial in Kilifi late last year. The ideal scenario now would be rapid dissemination to every eligible adult, but phasing in the context of limited doses is intended to prioritise those who need the vaccine most. The first group receiving the vaccine comprises essential workers, including front-line healthcare givers, teachers, the police, the armed forces, clergy and hospitality industry players. The next group is those aged above 58 years, with a view to including those with underlying medical conditions.
That being said, many Kenyans are daily income earners who cannot leave work to queue for unpredictable periods for the vaccine. There is thus a need to decentralise vaccine points into the community.
The second issue is information flow. Kenya is known for efficient, swift and easily scaled vaccination programmes, as seen with the polio and measles vaccinations. However, a lot of misinformation is circulating about the Covid-19 vaccines in the form of forwarded text messages, alarmist social media posts and community whispers.
Reliable information
Additionally, the public has little reliable information on where to get the vaccines, their side effects and the benefits of being inoculated. The government and leading health authorities need to answer a few underlying questions.
The first is what the current thinking is on treatment for Covid-19. If the ministry says one thing but trusted health workers on the ground and publicly available research seem to be pointing in another direction, then there’s a problem. Current knowledge must be harmonised in a consistent and up-to-date manner.
The second question is about children’s safety. Covid patients are increasingly getting younger. While the youth were almost considered safe in 2020, the increasing presence of Covid variants may be changing this. Children will not be eligible for the vaccine for a while, increasing their vulnerability. Kenyans are in dire need of reassurance and care, especially after a year of fear and violently enforced curfews.
This can be undertaken by strategic community health outreaches. Again all lockdowns, without key sector support, will have debilitating economic consequences, especially on the backdrop of the fragile gains made towards the end of 2020. It is thus essential that national priorities shift back to Kenyans themselves, and away from any political distractions.
