Kenya Receives 410 COVID-19 Doses Donated by the UK

Kenya has received 410,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by the UK government.

An Emirates A6-EPM aircraft carrying the consignment arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Saturday and was received by Health Ministry officials led by Chief Administrative Secretary Dr. Mercy Mwangangi.

The shipment is part of a donation of 817,000 COVID-19 doses secured by President Kenyatta during his three-day visit to the UK this week.

The remaining half of the doses were donated through the COVAX facility and are expected to arrive in the country in the next few days.

Dr. Mwangangi termed the arrival of vaccines as a boost for Kenya’s bid to vaccinate all its 26 million adults by 2022.

"The donation will go a long way towards bolstering Kenya’s journey towards realizing herd immunity.”

She also expressed concerns about the rising cases of COVID-19, saying health facilities around the country, especially in Nairobi are overburdened.

“Nairobi continues to record high numbers, we need to be more careful as residents. Our medical facilities especially here in Nairobi are overstretched particularly for those seeking critical care,” she said.