NMS to hand 34,000 health workers Covid-19 vaccines
At least 34,000 health workers in Nairobi will receive the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine in the first phase of the vaccination drive, Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has said.
The drive, which began on Tuesday, targets to vaccinate over 5,000 health care workers (HCW) in the public sector, 22,496 in the private sector, and additional 7,300 community health volunteers.
The vaccination will be undertaken in three phases, however, the first phase will target frontline health workers including health care workers, community health volunteers, and facility support staff.
Nairobi has been allocated 72,000 doses of the vaccine for the vaccination centres within Nairobi County.
NMS Director-General Mohamed Badi said Nairobi has been allocated 72,000 doses of vaccine for the vaccination centres within Nairobi.
This week, eight hospitals will be dispensing the vaccine as part of the 16 health facilities identified by the Major General Mohamed Badi-led administration NMS for the vaccination drive.
The health facilities include National Spinal Injury Hospital, Mathare Hospital, Moi airbase Hospital, Mbagathi Hospital, Memorial Hospital, Kenya University Medical Centre as well as Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and State House Clinic.
The next phase will include Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, Pumwani maternity hospital, Jamaa Mission Hospital, St Francis Community Hospital , Coptic Hospital Ngong Road, Aga Khan Hospital, Ruaraka Uhai Neema Hospital, Nairobi Hospital and the Mater Misericodiae Hospital.
“The second phase will target those with conditions like diabetes and hypertension among others while the third phase will target all other eligible persons’. I want to assure all health workers that we will vaccinate all of you in both the public and the private facilities,” said Major General Badi.
The NMS boss explained that the vaccination will help protect individuals from getting Covid-19 disease. However, he called for Kenyans to take preventive measures against the deadly disease including social distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask, saying coronavirus diseases has no known cure.
“Getting vaccinated protects people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from the disease as vaccination is a safer way to help build protection,” he said.
Nairobi has been worse hit by Covid-19 pandemic accounting for 44 percent of positive cases reported countrywide.
As of March 7, 2021, Nairobi had reported a total of 48,358 confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 out of the 108,827 cases reported in Kenya since March 13, 2020.
A total of 681 deaths have also been reported in Nairobi out of the total 1,876 deaths recorded in the country as at that time.
“All cases diagnosed are either admitted to treatment centres of placed under home-based isolation where they are closely monitored. Cumulatively, 1,736 patients are under home based care,” said the NMS boss.
As part of response to the deadly disease, NMS has isolation facilities at Mama Lucy hospital, Mbagathi hospital and Kibera South Health Centre.
The agency, with support from the National Multiagency Covid Command Centre (NMACC) has established a testing laboratory at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital.
An emergency operation centre to coordinate response activities has also been established and members of the public can call the toll-free numbers for assistance.