The Government will from tomorrow roll out COVID-19 booster vaccine doses for those who have completed the primary vaccination series in the last six months.

President Uhuru Kenyatta said the move was aimed at maintaining immunity against the disease, especially with the emergence of highly transmissible variants.

He said healthcare workers, security personnel, teachers, those with co-existing medical conditions and those above 50 years of age will be prioritized.

“I call upon this population to present themselves at the nearest vaccination centre for this crucial shot,” he stated in his New Year State address.

In March 2021, the government began vaccination against COVID-19 as an additional mitigation measure against the disease.

To date, Kenya has received 23 million doses of assorted vaccines and 10 million doses have been administered to Kenyans.

“In the past few months, we have witnessed an increase in vaccination rates; and so far 15 per cent of the adult population is fully vaccinated,” he noted.

He said the country currently has 13 million doses of the vaccines and targets to vaccinate over 30 million Kenyans by the end of December 2022.

The Ministry of Health has announced 1,596 new cases of coronavirus from a sample size of 4,242 tested in the last 24 hours.

The country’s positivity rate is at 37.6 per cent.

In a statement on Monday, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said from the cases 1,454 are Kenyans while 142 are foreigners, and that a total of 879 patients are females and 717 are males.

The youngest patient is an eight-month-old child while the oldest is 91 years.

This brings the total confirmed positive cases to 284,150 and cumulative tests so far conducted are 2,994,912.

The CS has urged Kenyans to remain cautious and vigilant during the festive season, as the country is still amid a pandemic.

“I would like to urge Kenyans, not to engage in mass parties, but if they have to, do it outdoors and observe the Ministry of Health Covid-19 guidelines and protocols,” Kagwe said.

Distribution of cases

Nairobi has 683 cases, Siaya 213, Murang’a 133, Uasin Gishu 75, Kajiado 73, Kakamega 62, Kiambu 55,

Nakuru 53, Migori 48, Kitui 38, Kericho 33, Nyeri 26, Kwale 19, Laikipia 14, Homa Bay 14, Kirinyaga 13, Embu 13, Marsabit 9, Turkana 6, Machakos 5, Meru 5, Kisii 4 and Makueni 2.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that about 250,000 jobs were shed in the 3 months leading to March 2021.

This was despite the economy having showed signs of recovery from the COVID-19 hardships. This report plainly shows that COVID -19 pandemic has been a grim period for workers and businesses indicating the employment sector is trailing   the ongoing economic recovery.

COVID-19 has been a huge setback for the progress on poverty eradication in Kenya. Job losses, food insecurity and impact on social lifestyles has also seen a spike  in mental health cases.

While many companies were shutting down or down-scaling, there are some companies that always remained fully operational and open.

A good example is the Group of Companies  founded and chaired by Jayesh Saini, one of the top entrepreneurs in the country.

During the height of COVID-19, Jayesh Saini vowed not to add to the challenges afflicting Kenyans by down-scaling or closing shop, despite the macro economic pressures to do so.

This single act to keep his over 3,000 employees employed throughout the pandemic period in his various establishments has been key in ensuring their food security, healthcare and housing for the past one and a half years.

The efforts towards supporting his staff during this difficult time has had a big effect on his companies in terms of the personal toll it has taken to keep them afloat.

However, this strain is nothing compared to the far reaching impact this has had on his staff e.g. continuation of education for staff children, effective support in the event of illness through the Bliss Healthcare network and fostering strong relationships at home leading to better mental health.

This ultimately leads to better work performance.

We are not out of the woods yet as regards COVID-19, even with the lifting of the curfew recently.

However, with emphasis on getting more Kenyans vaccinated and having more affordable health set ups offering quality healthcare like Bliss Healthcare, we shall make it out of this pandemic stronger and better than ever!