Kenya continues to present, day after day, truly derisory rates of covid-19 positivity. By now, since the beginning of the year, the average rate is 2, after 2021 ended with an unreassuring 37%. The rates recorded yesterday, Monday, January 31, are the lowest since early December and before the mass exodus of Nairobans to the coast.
The Kenyan government applauds the results and identifies them with the impact of the vaccination campaign, which should be read, as we always remember, in a very positive way since the 5.52 million fully vaccinated are Kenyans living in urban areas and working in contact with foreigners. Populations living in regions where there is less mixing and where assemblage occurs only among local communities, according to research by the Kenya Research Medical Institute, are already well on their way to herd immunity and are likely to get vaccinated only in case they need to travel abroad or access services that require vaccination passports.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is ready to remove a country from the "high risk" category when the positivity rate falls below five percent and advises countries to reconsider restrictions if it remains above the limit for at least 14 days. We would then be very close to being able to deem Kenya a safe country from an infection standpoint.
However, there is still the issue of disorganization in access to vaccines.
"As much as Kenya has made great strides in the fight against Covid-19, vaccine uptake has been low and the challenge has been around population access," said Githinji Gitahi, the CEO of Amref Health Africa International, yesterday. "Policymakers need to make sure that people can access vaccines conveniently. It is not enough to say that we have vaccines, they must be available on Saturdays and Sundays, when the majority of the population is not working".
Experts from the medical associations believe, however, that Kenya would also be ready to receive vaccines in local pharmacies and dispensaries, in order to increase the number of total vaccinated people and be able to improve its reputation.