PUBLIC ADVISORY NO. 2021-11

SUBJECT : COVID-19 VACCINATION ROLL-OUT AND MEASURES ON COVID-19 UNDER POST’S COUNTRIES OF JURISDICTION

DATE : 19 March 2021 ______

The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi wishes to inform our kababayans of the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination programs of the following countries in Africa under the Embassy’s jurisdiction:

KENYA

Kenya officially launched the COVID-19 vaccination campaign at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi on 5 March 2021. Dr. Patrick Amoth, Acting Director General of the Ministry of Health, was the first person to be vaccinated, followed by healthcare workers and security personnel.

The Kenyan government received its first consignment of 1.02 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines on 3 March 2021 as part of the COVAX initiative. The first consignment is part of the initial allocation to Kenya of 3.56 million doses.

The Kenyan government is providing the vaccination free of charge in public hospitals to people eligible under Phase 1.

Kenya started the COVID-19 vaccination exercise on 06 March 2021, Saturday.

Phase 1 – Kenya has prioritized the vaccination of 1.25 million people initially planned at the end of February 2021 when the expected vaccine was supposed to arrive in Kenya. The people to be covered in Phase 1 include frontline healthcare workers and all staff working in health facilities both in public and private sectors. Also prioritized are workers undertaking essential services in priority sectors like security and immigration.

Phase 2 – During this phase (July 2021 to June 2022), and as more vaccines become available, the plan is to vaccinate 9.7 million more Kenyans, targeting person above 50 years of age and those above 18 years of age with underlying health conditions.

Phase 3 – This phase will run concurrently with Phase 2 depending on availability of adequate vaccines. In this phase, the target is to vaccinate 4.9 million people who will include all other vulnerable populations like those in congregate settings such as prisoners, refugees and elderly.

The COVID-19 taskforce of Kenya revealed that the government is also considering allowing private facilities to sell the vaccines, under the careful watch of the government. The mode of standard payment for administering COVID-19 vaccines in private facilities is still being worked on by the government to prevent exploitation.

Additional measures in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic were announced by Kenyan President in his latest presidential address on 12 March 2021, the highlights of which are the following:

1. The nationwide curfew from 10:00PM to 4:00AM daily is extended by 60 days. 2. Tighter border checks especially informal entry points, including screening and isolation curfew. 3. Political gatherings prohibited for 30 days beginning midnight of 12 March 2021. 4. Frontline health workers, teachers and uniformed personnel will receive the vaccine in Phase 1, while Phase 2 will cover elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. 5. All funerals, cremations and interment ceremonies shall be conducted within 72 hours after death. A maximum of 100 persons will be allowed to attend which will be limited to the immediate family of the deceased. One-third (1/3) of the venue capacity will be allowed to be in any place of worship. 6. The Ministry of Interior will set up a Special Task Unit to enforce a nationwide adherence to COVID-19 protocols. 7. National examinations for student Grade 4, Class 8 and Form 4 candidates will take place as place as planned. Public health measures will be enforced.

COMOROS

President Azali Assoumani expressed his gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for the delivery of the first doses COVID-19 vaccine and for the medical assistance missions and the medical donations made by the Chinese government to Comoros.

The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from China arrived on 3 March 2021.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC)

DRC’s Health Minister, Eteni Longondo, said that the country received its first batch of COVID- 19 vaccines on 2 March 2021. More than 1.7 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Kinshasa as part of the COVAX initiative.

Medical authorities have decided to use the Astra Zeneca vaccine because it meets the DRC's existing storage conditions (between 2° and 8°C). A plan for the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines across the country is being finalized.

The distribution of the vaccine is based on epidemiological data and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The initial aim is to vaccinate 20% of the population, including health workers, people aged over 55 and people suffering from serious health conditions such as kidney disease, high blood pressure or diabetes.

The first phase of vaccine rollout for the year 2021 will target the four provinces of the DRC most affected by the pandemic: Kinshasa, North Kivu, Central Kongo and Haut-Katanga.

MALAWI

The Malawi Government plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations in March 2021 and will use the AstraZeneca vaccine. In the initial vaccination phase, the government has identified priority groups who will be among the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. These include health care workers, including those working in the private sector, those who are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection due to the nature of their work, and more likely to be affected by COVID-19. Also included in phase one are police, immigration officers, wardens, prisoners, teachers, those who are 60 years old and above and people with underlying conditions.

The vaccination will be done on a voluntary basis: individuals will have a choice on whether to be vaccinated or not. The vaccine will be procured initially with the financial and technical assistance from the COVAX facility and WHO.

The vaccines were distributed to all the 28 districts across Malawi to first support frontline health and social workers and started the vaccination exercise on 15 March 2021, Monday.

RWANDA

The Rwandan government has received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX initiative. The first batch of 240,000 doses of the Astra-Zeneca Oxford vaccine and the second batch of 102,960 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, both arrived in Kigali, Rwanda on 3 March 2021.

The government targets to vaccinate a total of 171,480 people identified as high-risk groups, including health workers, those above 65 years old or with underlying conditions, and other frontline workers.

The vaccines were dispatched from the Rwanda Biomedical Center warehouse to District Hospitals and to all 508 health centers across Rwanda. Vaccination exercises will take place in hospitals and health centers, and vaccine recipients were invited through their respective Districts.

Rwanda started the vaccination using the AstraZeneca vaccines on 06 March 2021, Saturday.

SEYCHELLES

Seychelles was the first African country to launch its vaccination campaign against COVID-19.

In December 2020, the United Arab Emirates donated 50,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines while donated 50,000 doses of Covishield vaccine. The Government of Seychelles has purchased an additional 40,000 doses of Covishield vaccine to inoculate 70,000 people (70% of the population).

The government of Seychelles administered its first vaccination roll-out of Sinopharm vaccine on 10 January 2021. Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan was the first to take the vaccine. A total of 25,654 people have been vaccinated with the first dose of Sinopharm vaccine. By the end of February, about 44% of those vaccinated had received a second shot. According to the Public Health Commissioner, Jude Gedeon, 56,000 people have already received at least the first dose of Sinopharm or Covishield.

COVID-19 vaccines in Seychelles are voluntary and free. Frontline workers were the top priority to be vaccinated, followed by the elderly. The shots are given in hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and some businesses. Now all residents can get inoculated, except for those under 18 years of age. Seychelles has said it hopes to reach 'herd immunity' against the coronavirus by mid-March, which would make it among the first in the world to achieve such extensive protection.

State schools in Seychelles opened in phases for face-to-face class on 15 March 2021, Monday.

Seychelles will re-open to tourists from all over the world, except South Africa, on 25 March 2021.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde told a press conference that visitors will however need to abide by health measures in place, which means that wearing masks, hand sanitizing, and social and physical distancing are mandatory.

UGANDA

The Ugandan government received its first batch of 864,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines on 5 March 2021 and additional doses of 100,000 doses on 7 March 2021. The 964,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines are donations from the COVAX Facility and are manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

Uganda government started its vaccination exercise on 10 March 2021, Wednesday.

Early on, the Ugandan government ordered 18 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and up to 40% of the shipments are expected to arrive by the end of March 2021.

The Ugandan government is also set to receive an extra 3.5 million doses of the same vaccine, developed with Oxford University, from COVAX, the scheme set up by WHO to facilitate vaccine access by poor and middle-income countries, which will be received by early March.

Janet Ruth Aceng, Ugandan Minister of Health, announced that the vaccination will be based on the occupational risk of infection, risk of developing severe diseases, death from COVID-19 and population characteristics. These will include health workers, security personnel, teachers, and person of advanced age with underlying health conditions. Others are journalists, airline workers, prisoners, tour operators, immigration officers and humanitarian workers.

In a statement from the Ugandan government, it said that each person will receive two doses separated by 28 days.

The first doses will be used to vaccinate people aged 50 years and above, people with underlying health conditions, health workers, security personnel, teachers and other essential social service providers. The second phase will cover teachers as Uganda will be gradually opening its schools this year. The third phase will cover those aged 50 years and above. The final phase will be for those between 18 and 50 years old.

Please disseminate this information to our kababayans. Maraming salamat po!

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