The government through the Ministry of Health has rolled out the integration of the Covid-19 vaccine into the routine immunization program under the National Vaccines and Immunization Program (NVIP) which ensures that all eligible populations receive safe and quality vaccines.
In an interview with the Kenya News Agency during a 
Health Stakeholders sensitization meeting on the efforts to boost COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Eldoret, Uasin County Director of Health Clinical Services Dr. Wenseslaus Kuria reiterated the need to educate the society on behavioral change occasioned by societal misinformation which has caused people to avoid taking the covid-19 vaccine.
He insisted that COVID-19 is still there and that the communities should continue observing the necessary precautionary measures as before to contain further spread of the global health threat.
The Director decried that the county currently has 38 percent of the population immunized with the COVID-19 virus which is very low as compared to an average of 60 percent which is sufficient enough to achieve community immunity.
He called for collaborative efforts to sensitize the members of communities to accept the COVID-19 vaccine as they do others in the routine immunization programme.
“People should know that COVID-19 is still there, and they should not neglect the containment measures such as washing hands, and avoiding social contact among others. They should not listen to people propagating false information about the COVID and the HPV vaccines, the government is keen on ensuring its people are protected against various diseases posing threats to lives,” said Dr. Kuria.
On his part, the Officer in charge of the National Vaccines and Immunization Program (NVIP) in Uasin Gishu Joshua Maasai, indicated that there has been a reduction of public confidence in covid-19 vaccine why the government working together with partners has moved to integrate the vaccine to routine immunization programme.
He noted that every person has the opportunity to access the vaccines including the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which is administered to young girls of the age between 10 to 14 years to protect them against cervical cancer.
He called on the members of the public to consider getting the vaccine whenever they go for any check-up at the nearest public health facility noting that that will enhance the percentage of the people protected against various variants of the COVID-19 virus.
In his remarks, Ampath Coordinator Reuben Kipsang mentioned that it is a collective role for all health stakeholders including community opinion leaders, religious leaders, and others to reach out to the members of the communities and continue raising awareness by emphasizing the message on COVID-19 existence and its severity to promote uptake of the vaccine by the people to achieve community immunity.
“Covid-19 will continue to evolve and the severity is expected to reduce with an increase in vaccination coverage. Periodic spikes in cases and deaths warrant boosting of immunity for high-risk populations,” he noted.
He said that it has been discovered that COVID-19 vaccination is not currently delivered through campaigns that are not sustainable and that the integration of the vaccine into routine vaccination and other established health services will foster its sustainability.
KNA by Ekuwam Sylvester
