• Oguna said the state has put mechanisms in place to ensure the over one million vaccination doses that arrived in the country last week are administered to all targeted groups.
• He said so far the vaccines have arrived in all the nine regional storage centres.
Image: WHO
The government has maintained no one will jump the queue in the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination.
Through spokesman Cyrus Oguna, the government dismissed claims that the so called 'elite' would be given priority in vaccination.
Oguna said the state has put mechanisms in place to ensure the over one million vaccination doses that arrived in the country last week are administered to all targeted groups.
"I want to assure members of the public that mechanisms have been put in place to ensure the vaccines gets to the targeted group. No one even the elite will jump the queue," Oguna said.
He said so far the vaccines have arrived in all the nine regional storage centres.
"So far 20 counties have already received the vaccines and the government is working round the clock to see the remaining counties get their share," he said.
According to Oguna, the first phase of vaccination of the AstraZeneca vaccines will run till the end of June with the target group being health care workers, security personnel and teachers.
"We shall embark on the second phase in early July targeting any leftovers in the first phase then peg in those with comorbidities and other existing ailments," he said.
Oguna while speaking on KTN News on Wednesday said the first batch of the vaccines will vaccinate close to half a million people.
"An individual needs two doses of the vaccine so the fist batch will cater for roughly above half a million people," he said.
Oguna while dismissing claims that the vaccine is unnecessary said, "We are dealing with a very new pandemic because there is not much information on the table. This vaccine is also new and meant to manage this new disease therefore, it is human for people to react in that manner, but we shall ensure they get the right information".
Oguna said the vaccine is working for others and it will definitely work for the country.
He said those peddling negativity on the vaccine their fear is based on the fact that they have not gotten the right information...
The retired colonel said there will be some challenges in terms of logistics and supply chain but the government is putting infrastructure in place.
We have sufficient facilities and refrigeration but since some counties are far-flung with challenges of the road network we are doing a lot of collaboration to ensure delivery in record time," he said.
He said the government has further embarked on a plan to secure more vaccines beyond AstraZeneca.
"Kenya was among the first East African state to receive the dosses because based on realities in countries, we have been working to ensure mechanisms are in place in record time. Therefore, we shall stop at no amount of effort to ensure the well-being of Kenyans is taken care of," he said.
He said the government will shoulder all the expenses of bringing in the vaccines.
"We are mobilising resources and whatever is brought in is free and no one should be charged for them to get the vaccine," Oguna said.
He said in a span of one and half years, the government plans to have conducted three phases of vaccination covering 40 per cent of the population.
He said it is not realistic to vaccinate 100 per cent of the population because not everybody will be infected.
Oguna who has already received his vaccination jab dismissed claims that there are various side effects.
"There are many who might be reluctant to take the vaccine having been victims. I am one of the survivors, I recovered and have been vaccinated. Most people don't understand what it feels to be infected and for sure many get in the ICU and never get out," he said.
"I had severe severe symptoms and my oxygen levels were at 26 per cent a clear indication that somebody organs were not functioning and even to doctors it was a surprise for me to get out."
Oguna said it hurts to see how a false sense of security has already crept across the country that many have thrown the containment measures to the dog since the vaccine arrived.
"Vaccine is not a silver bullet to the pandemic but one of the measures to limit infection and reduce the severity. You can still be infected after vaccination and thus why we focus to vaccinate the critical mass so that we can build a hard immunity going forward," he said.