NANDI COUNTY RECEIVES COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES
Nandi County has received her first batch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines.
Priority will be given to healthcare workers, frontline workers including security personnel and teachers in both public and private learning institutions, vulnerable persons and those in the hospitality sector, followed by the elderly and people with existing health conditions.
About 6,000 free doses of vaccines of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 dosage from the national government under the Ministry of Health was received at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital by the CECM for Health Ruth Koech who flanked by the Chief Officer Medical Services Dr. Paul Lagat and the County Director for Health Dr. David Bungei.
The vaccination campaign, targeting primarily the frontline workers, was launched at the hospital immediately after the batches were received.
During the event the Dr. Bungei led the health workers in receiving the first jab who was then followed by Dr. Lagat and Medical Superintendents for both Kapsabet County Referral and Nandi Hills Hospitals Dr. Daniel Kemboi and Dr. Joseph Kangor. Others who received the jab are County EPI Coordinator Rachel Rop and Nandi County Police Commander Samson ole Kine. The first health workers to receive the jab were Kapsabet County Referral Hospital staff. By the end of the day about 64 health workers had been vaccinated.
This is the initial batch of Covid-19 vaccines delivered to the county in the first phase.
Phase 1 will run until June 30 giving way for Phase 2 which will commence thereafter.
The second phase will involve people comprising those above 50 years and those above 18 with underlying medical conditions between June and July this year.
However, there are protocols that have to be followed before one takes the vaccine.
“If you normally have allergic reactions to chicken and eggs, then you are ineligible for the Covid-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Bungei.
Speaking during the official launch of the vaccination exercise, the CECM for Health Ruth Koech said the drug was safe for use by the targeted groups.
“The vaccines are safe and we are ready to administer them to the health care workers before everyone else,” she said.
Kenya recorded its first case of coronavirus in March last year. So far, more than 100,000 people have contracted the virus and at least 1,000 have died.