Kwale County government has rolled out its Covid-19 vaccination campaign targeting high-risk groups in an event held at the Msambweni referral hospital.
The event held at the Msambweni Covid-19 Unit Annex Tuesday was graced by the County Executive Committee (CEC) member for Health Francis Gwama.
The initial coronavirus vaccination campaign will primarily target healthcare workers, school teachers and people in the security sector according to county authorities.
Mr Gwama said who was administered the first jab of AstraZeneca vaccine said that the initial disbursement of the covid-19 doses is aimed at reaching 10,000 people inclusive of health care workers, uniformed officers and teachers.
He said that at this time the department of health has so far trained more than 200 healthcare workers who will be in the forefront in making sure the first consignment has reached the targeted population.
“We have so far trained 200 health care workers who will be the officers to carry out the vaccination process. We have equipped them with skills and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to make their working environment safe and conducive” he said.
He said the vaccine will be a welcome relief to frontline healthcare workers as they are a high-risk group in the fight against the highly contagious disease.
Gwama said the first consignment of the 10,000 Covid-19 vaccines targets healthcare workers, police officers as well as teachers.
The identified public workers are key service providers who always put their lives on the line while rendering critical services to the people.
Vaccine recipients were being asked to remain onsite at the vaccination venue for roughly 30-minutes after receiving the vaccine to monitor for any side effects.
“The county government is committed to making sure the lives of the people are protected. Therefore, I urge everyone to take the vaccine positively to help curb the spread of the virus,” said Gwama, adding that people should desist from expressing concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
He disclosed that 2500 healthcare workers, 3000 uniformed and frontline officers, and teachers are to be included in the first batch of the vaccine.
The county executive said in the second wave of the vaccination campaign, elderly people above 60 years of age, people living with disabilities and those with underlying medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and blood pressure would be prioritised.
Gwama said after the first phase of the disbursement is exhausted the second batch will be released soon, adding that the county government is determined to inoculate all its residents against the highly infectious virus.
Present at the event were county executives Sylvia Chidodo (Public Service), Hemedi Mwabudzo (Roads) and other senior county government officials.
by Hussein Abdullahi
