By Rugendo Antony
Worth Noting:
- “Before the Mass vaccination campaign we had only vaccinated 246980 people partially while only 102428 were fully vaccinated. However since the campaign kicked off we have managed to issue 127, 667 doses within just 14 days which is a 31% coverage,” Dr Koome said.
- Assuring residents that the jab is safe and the best way out to protect against Covid-19, Dr Koome described the vaccine as “a key factor” in curbing Covid-19 as the Country enters into campaign mood this year.
- “The vaccine is safe and it’s the best protection from serious illness caused by Covid-19. It boosts the body’s immunity towards fighting against the virus,” Dr Koome added.
The Meru County Government has launched the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination in a continuous effort towards curbing the spread of the disease in the region.
The door to door mass vaccination campaign that kicked off on February 7 is expected to close on February 15.
Despite this the County health department has revealed that thousands of flower farm workers are yet to get jab, an incidence that the health experts have blamed on busy peak season in the horticulture sector and lack of cooperation by flower farms managements in Meru.
“Our vaccination team has tried to engage the management on those flower farms to find appropriate time to visit but the challenge is this is a peak season for flower farms hence making it hard for them to let their workers receive the jab. This is a challenge to us because we can only vaccinate them during the odd hours such as very early in the morning before they report to work or as they leave in the late evening,” health management information services Coordinator Robert Kinoti said during the launch of the second phase mass vaccination drive.
Kinoti called on administrators to speak with the flower farms administrators in a bid to ensure their workers are vaccinated.
According to Meru Director of Medical Services Dr Koome Muthuri despite the challenges the County has managed to record a tremendous improvement in the number of people vaccinated since the launch of the Mass vaccination campaign in January.
“Before the Mass vaccination campaign we had only vaccinated 246980 people partially while only 102428 were fully vaccinated. However since the campaign kicked off we have managed to issue 127, 667 doses within just 14 days which is a 31% coverage,” Dr Koome said.
Assuring residents that the jab is safe and the best way out to protect against Covid-19, Dr Koome described the vaccine as “a key factor” in curbing Covid-19 as the Country enters into campaign mood this year.
“The vaccine is safe and it’s the best protection from serious illness caused by Covid-19. It boosts the body’s immunity towards fighting against the virus,” Dr Koome added.
Koome called on residents to receive the Jab noting that the vaccination program will go on in the 79 vaccination centers in the County even after the closure of the mass vaccination campaign.
Meru Public Health Assistant Director Paul Kimathi said the department will focus on creating awareness among residents in a bid to boost the number of people receiving the jab.
Kimathi noted that the health department has been involving various health stakeholders such as the Church to educate residents on the need to take the Jab.
He called on residents to cooperate with the Health officers and Health Volunteers in a bid to ensure that a large number of residents receive the jab.
