The National Secretary-General for Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union says the Kenyan government must not rely only on donated vaccines, but must also buy them.
On Monday, the East African nation received a donation of 358 000 doses of the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccines from Denmark to boost its vaccine roll out program.
Kenya has set a target of vaccinating 30% of its population by 2023.
Atellah says they are concerned that frontline workers are struggling to get the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“The last four weeks all the doctors and health workers have been going to the facilities and have discovered that the vaccines are out of stock. We are asking government to budget and buy the vaccine instead of relying on donations.”
Below is the full interview with Dr. Atellah:
Eswatini
Meanwhile, analysis by World Health Organisation shows that Eswatini gave more vaccines per head than any other African nation during the first phase of their COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
WHO’s New Vaccines Introduction Officer for Africa, Dr Phionah Atuhebwe says Eswatini gave nearly 110% of the doses they received as they made use of every single drop in every vial.
“Each vial contains a little more of the fluid needed for each dose to account for any spillage or accidents, but with precious few doses, Eswatini made the most of what they had.”
In the run-up to the vaccine rollout, Eswatini set up a training academy for vaccinators.
VIDEO: Lessons learned from COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Eswatini:
