Kenya is also thinking of activating procedures to offer citizens who request it, a third dose of booster vaccine.
Requests to this effect come from a number of experts and managers of the Kenyan health departments, following the presence of the Omicron variant in the country.
The percentage of cases of Covid-19 in a few days has once again exceeded the percentage defined as "attention" of 10%, after having previously dropped to one percent and never exceeded 6% in the last month.
"Scientifically, there is evidence that immunity acquired from infection or vaccination, does not last more than 12 months," said Dr. Andrew Mulwa, Chief of the Directorate of Preventive and Promotional Health - "we are considering the idea of introducing booster vaccines, especially for the most vulnerable that are the elderly, since at least 70% of the mortality documented currently, is among the vulnerable population."
Although the government's goal is to reach as soon as possible the totality of vaccinated adults, about 30 million, the percentage at the moment is still very low (one out of 9 fully vaccinated) even if, according to experts, Kenya is well on its way with the so-called herd immunity.
"The new variant is spreading faster but weaker, which to me, from a scientific point of view is a good thing - expressed Mulwa in an interview with The Standard newspaper - because we are seeing the progressive weakening of this variant, which may be an indication of the end of the pandemic. We are therefore asking Kenyans to vaccinate themselves to protect themselves in an almost certain way."
Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya CEO Daniella Munene also supports and revives the idea of making a third vaccine possible to boost immunity as the country heads into the holiday season.
"This is the best time to offer the possibility of booster shots for those who are willing to take an additional dose," she said, "The country has the availability of multiple doses, and we are already racing against the clock to use them all.
The vaccines administered so far are a little more than eight million, but Kenya has 23 million, so there would be possibility, together with those who still have to present themselves for the first or second dose, to start administering the third dose.
Just the increase in stocks recorded in recent weeks pushes doctors and virologists to ask the Government to encourage citizens to go to the vaccination points.