Covid 19

Lack of enough data, proper research, proper planning, and compassion towards each other are among the factors hampering the fight against Covid -19 in Kenya. These emerged at a Twitter spaces discussion hosted by the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) on 26th July 2021 with panelists James Ouma of Lifesong, Influencer Florence Kamaitha of Her Business.co.ke and Journalist David Indeje who also doubles up as the Khusoko.com founder.

A post covid recovery plan should prioritise people and not a polluting coal industry, this is according to Greenpeace Africa. The Kenyan budget outlining the governments’ plans for Kenya’s Post COVID recovery released in June 2021 clearly shows the government’s intentions to prioritise coal over the health and well-being of Kenyans.

A total of 54 countries have banned Kenyan passport holders from setting foot in their countries because they have not approved the vaccine used to fight against Covid-19 in the country. Kenya, which is grappling with the pandemic including the deadly Delta variant, was placed at number 77 by the Henley Passport Index, which monitors the world’s most travel-friendly passports.

Dr Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO, Amref Health Africa has been appointed as a commissioner in the newly constituted Commission on African COVID-19 Response. This comes after the announcement of the appointment of H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa as the African Union Champion on COVID-19, by the African Union Bureau of Assembly of Heads of State and Government (AU Bureau) at the 34th Ordinary Session of the AU held on 06 February 2021.

The African union has decried the fact that the applicability of the EU Digital COVID Certificate “Green Pass” to different COVID-19 vaccines excludes persons who received the Covishield vaccine. Basically, while the AstraZeneca vaccine (ChAdOx1_nCoV-19) produced and authorized in Europe (Vaxzervria) is included, the same formation of the vaccine (Covishield) produced under license by the Serum Institute of India (SII), is excluded.

The government of Kenya has decried the inequalities in the availability, access, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as the numbers stand at 166,000 confirmed positive about 114,000 recoveries and 3000 deaths since the pandemic was first reported.

Many great personalities have been at the forefront of fighting COVID-19. Some have sacrificed their time, money and other resources to ensure the battle against COVID-19 is won. While doctors, nurses and other health workers are at the frontline of the COVID-19 battle, and they deserve all the praise and support, there are other great personalities in different fields also engaged in the COVID-19 battle.

Even before 2020, that’s before the outbreak of the current pandemic, Kenya already had a significant portion of the population that was grappling with mental health. And this was (and is still) an issue the government recognized and seemed keen to address.

The Covid-19 has been with us for over a year, since the first case was reported in the country in the first quarter of 2020. Even though members of the public still have to adhere to the various measures put in place to control, the spread of the virus – that is keeping a safe social distance from other people while outdoors, regularly washing hands with soap or sanitizer, avoiding hand greetings, staying at home if need be, and wearing a mask to cover the nose and mouth – the Ministry of Health has for months now been consistently urging people to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Christine Kamau, a resident of Banana in Kiambu County recalls her family’s experience during Covid-19 with lots of fear. Her memories of how she endured confusion, stress and mental trauma are still fresh on her mind. Here are other examples of Covid-19 effects on Kenyan women.

As a foreigner, you might be asking yourself, is it safe to travel to Kenya with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic? Learn about Corona-related travel bans on Kenya and their effects.

Wanjiru’s hope to get another job is just one of the effects of Covid-19 hitting the lower strata of society and daily wage workers who continue to face the greatest impact due to reduced household income. The first case of COVID-19 in Kenya was reported on March 13, 2020, when a 27-year-old lady, who had travelled from Ohio, Chicago, London en route to Kenya on March 5 contracted it.