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More men take Covid-19 jab in Nairobi


At least 247,529 Nairobi residents had by Friday received the AstraZeneca vaccine, which helps build immunity against contracting Covid-19.

The vaccination which was launched by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), has been ongoing since March.

This as more males than females received the jab, accounting for slightly more than half of the number at 133,757.

According to NMS Covid-19 pandemic data report, 47,741 health workers have been vaccinated, plus 26,766 security officers, 27,735 teachers with 145,298 have been classified as others.

The AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Kenya on March 6, 2021, and three days later, NMS Director General Mohamed Badi launched the vaccination exercise.

Across the country, more than 800,000 people have been vaccinated after Kenya received slightly over one million doses of the vaccine.

Out of the 1.2 million doses distributed around the country, Nairobi received the bulk with 393,000 doses allocated to the area.

“From March 9, 2021 when NMS Director General Mohamed Badi launched the vaccination exercise until April 21,2021, a total of 247,529 people have received the vaccine with the men leading having 133,757 and females 113,694 having being vaccinated,” read in part the report by NMS.

Nairobi continues to bear the biggest burden of Covid-19 with close to 1,000 deaths recorded since the pandemic struck the country in March of 2020.

The country’s death toll is close to 1,300.

Men lead in the deaths recorded in Nairobi accounting for 70 per cent of the 931 Covid-19 mortalities captured by the report as of last month.

Men account for 647 deaths out of the 931 reported.

Frontline health workers have also been hit hard with Nairobi having lost at least 191 health workers to the pandemic.

In terms of infections, which Nairobi had reported 72,520 Covid-19 cases as of May 1 which accounts for more than 44 per cent of all the cases (160,053) reported in Kenya.

For Nairobi, those aged between 25 and 49 years are worst affected with the peak at between 30 and 34 years, accounting for 61 per cent of the reported cases.

The vulnerable group starting from 50 years account for 15,402 of the infections, 9,801 are those between 10 and 25 years while those below 10 years are 3,500 or 5 per cent of the total cases .

Out of the number, a total of 1,060 health workers have tested positive for Covid-19 with nurses leading with 331, followed by doctors 192 and community health workers with 159 infections.

Since March last year, 1870 students and 407 teachers have contacted Covid-19. However, the numbers peaked between January and April this year where a total of 1,108 students and 211 teachers tested positive.

Lang’ata, Westlands, Kibra, Starehe, Embakasi East, Embakasi West, Kasarani, Makadara, Kamkunji, Ruaraka and Roysambu lead in Nairobi with more than 3,000 reported cases.

The capital city was among five counties that President Uhuru Kenyatta called a “Disease Infected Zone” on March 26 leading to the cessation of all movement into and out of the zone and dusk to dawn curfew times shortened Nairobi from 10pm to 8pm.

However, the measures were revised on Saturday with the cessation movement lifted and the curfew time extended from 8pm to 10pm.