Government resumes eight-week vaccination duration

The government has announced resumption of the eight week vaccination duration.

Supply constraints earlier this year pushed the Ministry of Health to adjust the scheduling of the second dose to 12 weeks.

This was also in line with WHO recommendations of 8-12 weeks duration for the administration of the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The Ministry of Health had stopped the issuance of the first dose of the vaccine between June and July and commenced the same in August.

"With the improved vaccine supply situation in the country and while aligning with WHO recommendations, the second dose of AstraZeneca will now be administered after eight weeks," Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said in a statement on Wednesday.

"All those who are due for their second dose will thus get a notification to this effect."

The CS has also advised those seeking the second dose to visit the nearest vaccination center and not necessarily at the post where the first dose was administered.

"This move will ensure that overcrowding does not happen at the few facilities which are offering vaccination services. The list of vaccination centers is available on our website," Kagwe said.

As of October 12, a total of 4,273,664 vaccines had been administered across the country. Of these,3,183,079 were partially vaccinated while those fully vaccinated were 1,090,585.

The uptake of the second dose among those who received their first dose was at32.8 per cent. Proportion of adults fully vaccinated was 4.0 per cent.

The government is working towards vaccinating a targeted population of 27,246,033 by June next year.