Kenya will – through Kenya Biovax Limited, as of April next year – start producing Covid-19 vaccine, according to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
This new development will come as a surprise to many – as vaccine production has been viewed by many as an achievement that would not be easily realized in a third-world country like Kenya.
At the very peak of the scourge, sometimes in last year, there were attempts by Kenyan doctors and health experts to come up with a home-grown Covid-19 vaccine, but their attempts were brought to naught.
But yesterday, in his speech during Mashujaa day celebrations in Kirinyaga, the president assured the country that there will be a jab for Kenya, made by Kenyans and in Kenya.
To reiterate his point on the said manufacturing of the Coronavirus vaccine, the president directed the Ministry of Health to work with Kenya Biovax Limited, a local firm, to ‘form and fill ‘ with a view to starting vaccine production by Easter 2022.
This will come as good news to contain the spread of the virus – and even to annihilate it within Kenya’s borders.
“If there is anything, we have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic is the essence of self-reliance. As the first step towards this goal, we have established a company to facilitate this venture in the name of Kenya Biovax Limited,” said Mr. Kenyatta.
Right now, 1,126,850 people have been fully vaccinated, up from 746,267 on August 14 while the number of those who have received the first jab has jumped to 4.34 million from two million over the same period as the government steps up vaccination.
This came as a double blessing as the president had already lifted dusk to dawn curfew that has been in place for almost two years now.
If fully implemented, it means that many opportunities will emerge in Kenya – occasioned by local production by Kenya Biovax Limited Company.
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