Kenya orders COVID-19 vaccine costing Sh 10 billion for vaccinating quarter of its population

 

 Kenya orders 24 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The shots only cover at least 20 per cent of the country’s population.


The Ministry of Health presented its application to the global vaccine alliance (GAVI) last week. The vaccine will cost Sh10 billion as the ministry confirmed.


This is almost the cost also given by GAVI, which says each dose will cost about $3 (about Sh320).

The cost is already heavily reduced because of donations from several developed countries, the World Bank, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others.


“The first to be vaccinated will be frontline workers, then the vulnerable and the elderly,” acting director-general of Health Patrick Amoth said.


He said Kenya did not talk of which vaccine to receive because GAVI has signed agreements with manufacturers of about nine vaccine candidates.


“The Oxford University-Astrazeneca candidate will be ideal for Kenya because it fits within our cold chain supply system. It can be stored in 2-8 degrees and we have refrigerators for that,” Amoth said.


"It is also being tested in the country in Kilifi through KEMRI," he added.


Pfizer- BioNTech’s, Moderna’s and Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines have all reported efficacy of more than 90 per cent.