Health ministry says Kenyans to get Covid booster jabs

President Uhuru Kenyatta has received his booster shot at State House, Nairobi, as the country intensifies Covid-19 vaccination.

The updated guidelines by the Health ministry will see Kenyans receive an additional dose of either Moderna, AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine six months after completion of the primary series.

As cases continue to soar with the emergence of the new Omicron variant, about 130 countries, including Kenya, have started implementing booster programmes, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Many governments are scrambling to shore up protection against Omicron, with WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warning that "no country can boost its way out of the pandemic.”

Omicron infection

Studies have shown that an initial course of Covid-19 vaccines — typically given in two doses — may not be enough to halt infection with Omicron, hence the need for a booster shot.

Booster shots have been found to offer a higher level of protection against Omicron, with some countries, including Israel, already offering the fourth dose.

According to the Centres for Disease Control, a booster shot is an additional dose given to those who have been fully vaccinated and built enough immunity but whose protection has decreased over time.  It prolongs immunity.

The WHO recommends that people who are immunocompromised or receive an inactivated vaccine receive a booster to protect against waning immunity.

The Ministry of Health last week announced that facilities would be offering booster shots to people who have already completed their primary doses of the life-saving jabs.

In a statement to regional county directors for health, the ministry directed: “This population that has been fully vaccinated should be offered an additional dose of either AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer vaccine six months after the completion of the primary series (the same or different vaccine can be used for the additional dose)," the memo read.

Prof Matilu Mwau, an infectious disease researcher at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, said it is not bad to give booster shots but questioned the country’s preparedness for any eventuality like the shortage of vaccines.

Kenya Vaccine doses

The country has received 23,279,820 vaccine doses and plans to vaccinate at least 30 million adults by the end of this year.

Of 9.8 million doses administered, 5.7 million have had their first dose, 4.1 million second dose.

“...without a clear direction, we are likely to hit a snag, everyone will go for the shot and.. the people at risk, like healthcare workers might miss out,” said Prof Mwau.

“Other countries are giving the at-risk population the opportunity first before they open it to everyone, but in Kenya, as long as you have been fully vaccinated and you are past the six-month period, you can have the shot.”

However, Dr Willis Akhawale, the Covid taskforce chairperson, said the decision to give a booster shot to everyone was arrived at after several factors were considered, including available doses.

“Those in need of the booster are only three million, we will be left with 10 million doses out of the 13 million we currently have,” he said.

Kenya allocated Sh14 billion to Covid response.

So far, it is administering five vaccines — Moderna, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.