Kenya receives 1.02 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenya received over one million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine through the global COVAX facility early Wednesday.

The local office of the World Health Organization (WHO) made the announcement on Twitter, saying the 1.02 million doses had arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport onboard a Qatar Airways flight.

According to the Ministry of Health, the first beneficiaries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will include frontline workers such as health care professionals, teachers and security personnel.

As of Tuesday, 345 people were diagnosed with the coronavirus out of a sample size of 5,550 tested in 24 hours. The total number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 106,470.

The number of tests conducted so far totals 1,306,601.

Another 143 people have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 86,860, while four patients succumbed to the disease, taking the country’s fatalities to 1,863.

A total of 378 patients are currently admitted at health facilities countrywide, while 1,494 patients are on home-based isolation and care.

Some 58 patients are in intensive care units (ICUs), 23 of whom are on ventilation support and 29 on supplemental oxygen, while six patients are on observation.