A man receives a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot during the launch of a vaccination center at Kenya Medical Training College in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, June 16, 2022. Kenya's ministry of health on Thursday launched an accelerated COVID-19 vaccine booster shot campaign amid rising infections. (Photo by Joy Nabukewa/Xinhua)
NAIROBI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's ministry of health on Thursday launched an accelerated COVID-19 vaccine booster shot campaign amid rising infections.
Susan Mochache, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya that research conducted on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine has revealed that immuno-compromised people might need a third dose.
"In addition, over time, the immunity, even for healthy people, starts to go down necessitating the booster shot for increased immune response. Further, the booster dose is critical in responding against emerging variants," Mochache said.
The ministry of health said that it is committed to safeguard the health of Kenyans and will also take concerted efforts to ensure that the gains made in the fight against COVID-19 are not lost.
Mochache observed that a big part of the youthful population under the age of 18 have yet to undergo the full COVID-19 vaccination.
Mochache revealed that Kenya is determined to reach the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that all countries reach the 70 percent vaccination rate for the general population but 100 percent for those aged over 60 years, health workers and those with underlying health conditions.
According to the ministry of health, the positivity rate in the country currently stands at 12.5 percent.
"This only means that we cannot, and we must not, relent in ensuring that a huge population is fully vaccinated against the virus," Mochache said.
She observed that even though the country has done relatively well having 31.3 percent of adults above 18 years being fully vaccinated, more needs to be done. ■
