Kenya is becoming aware of the need to tighten up on vaccinations and is realizing what is wrong and what campaigns need to be adopted to reach the ambitious and currently unthinkable goal of ten million adults vaccinated by the end of the year.
For now, the most active in the vaccination process seem to be the governments of the coastal regions. In Mombasa we are close to 800 thousand people fully vaccinated and it is believed that going forward at this rate in December 75% of the population could be fully immunized. In Kilifi County the problem continues to be the slow supply of doses. If Mombasa, in fact, by admission of the local health department, as reported by the Daily Nation newspaper, has already received all types of vaccine, including the Johnson & Johnson single dose that would be the panacea to solve the country's international problems and reopen the economy on a stable basis, the same cannot be said of Kilifi, Lamu and Kwale.
Compared to the commitment and hopes of the coastal regions for which the economy means above all tourism, therefore safety for travelers and those who receive them, in north-western Kenya the situation is serious with regard to the second doses.
In some regions, for example Vihiga and Homa Bay, one out of two citizens would not show up at the appointment to be injected with the second dose of AstraZeneca or Moderna.
This fact clearly halts the growth in the percentage of fully vaccinated citizens, but the perception of a large part of the population is that a single vaccine may be sufficient, for the moment, to cover the risks of Covid-19 which, as is now known, are not so serious in East Africa.
Decisive and decisive moves are awaited from the Ministry of Health. Looking at other countries, there is a perception that only the introduction of the green pass, at least for certain "sensitive" categories, will be able to give a greater boost to vaccinations. After the obligation introduced by Angola, yesterday also Zimbabwe gave an ultimatum to all workers in institutions and offices that have public relations with national and international bodies. They will have to present a certificate of vaccination in order to enter the workplace. We await the next moves of the Kenyan government, compared to those expected regarding the curfew. Yesterday also the opposition leader Musalia Musavadi, belonging to the Oka coalition that represents millions of voters and is in negotiations with the two main contenders for the role of next president of Kenya, has expressly asked to lift the night restrictions next November.