Agha Khan hospital suspends Covid-19 vaccination exercise
The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi has announced a temporary suspension of government sponsored Covid-19 vaccination following the depletion of their stocks.
In a statement released yesterday evening, the hospital cited depletion of stocks of the free AstraZeneca vaccine.
“We appreciate Kenyans for turning up in large numbers for the free COVID-19 vaccination under the government program. We shall announce the resumption of the exercise once we receive more doses from the Ministry of Health,” the statement reads.
Yesterday, the ministry noted that 1.12 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines have been delivered to the country with 806,000 of those doses distributed countrywide.
However, India’s decision to put a temporary hold on all major exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine doses has had implications for Kenya.
“There may be a delay because of India, we are pursuing other avenues to ensure that there is no shortage of the vaccine,” said Susan Mochache, PS, Ministry of Health.
The Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director Ahmed Ogwell says the regional body is in talks with manufacturers to ensure that Kenya is not left behind.
“ The deliveries will be adjusted as we continue to negotiate. We will address the delay in coming days,” Dr. Ogwell said.
People who received their first jab this month, are scheduled to receive their next dose in May with CDC Africa saying a delay in receiving the second dose will not affect the efficacy of the vaccine.
“The second dose is a booster. What we are doing is discouraging the mixing of vaccines,” Ogwell added.
