Covid vaccine stock-out: No second dose for thousands
Workers at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) transfer cartons containing Covid-19 vaccines doses into a cold storage facility at the organisation's warehouse in Kisumu County on March 4, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The vaccine uptake in Kisumu County among under-18s has remained low since last October when available doses were depleted.
- According to health experts, only 19.9 per cent of those aged under 18 have received a full dose. Some 51,147 others are yet to receive their second dose, with the next supply expected at the month-end.
The race to increase Kisumu’s Covid-19 vaccine uptake to 70 per cent by the end of June has suffered a blow after the county ran out of stock.
The vaccine uptake among under-18s has remained low since last October when available doses were depleted. According to health experts, only 19.9 per cent of those aged under 18 have received a full dose. Some 51,147 others are yet to receive their second dose, with the next supply expected at the month-end.
Kisumu’s Expanded Programme Immunisation logistician Florence Aketch said 91,517 under-18s have received at least one dose.
“The reason behind the low uptake is the stock-out for the last four months. We are, however, expecting to resume vaccination at the end of February when we will have received our supply,” said Ms Aketch during a briefing by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Union (KMPDU).
The union in partnership with the Kisumu Medical and Education Trust, People’s Health Movement, the Media Council of Kenya and the county Health department, is raising awareness of Covid-19 and dispelling myths that undermine vaccine uptake.
KMPDU Deputy Secretary Dennis Miskellah said since Covid-19 safety regulations were eased by the Ministry of Health, the number of those seeking vaccination has plateaued.
“In Kisumu County, the uptake is at 50.3 per cent when we know that the ideal minimum numbers should be 70 per cent,” he said.
A similar programme had been rolled out in Kakamega, Nairobi and Isiolo counties in the hope of raising uptake to 70 per cent at the national and county levels by the end of June.
“Nationally, we are at 37 per cent. There are still a lot of improvements to be made and we need to remind people that the virus is still here although we are recording lower cases. “The new cases we are recording are from a few who have gone for the test, no more lives should be lost to the virus. The only way to kick the virus out of Kenya and the entire world is through vaccination,” he added.
Dr Miskellah cautioned residents against paying attention to anti-vaxxers or narrowing their preference to a specific type of vaccine. “Covid is still with us and we are not sure when next the cases will surge. We need a higher vaccine uptake to avoid severe outcomes in case we experience a rise in cases in the future,” said Ms Aketch.
