The Ministry of Health has warned Kenyans against being lured to pay for jabs after reports of that some unscrupulous persons had begun offering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine at a fee.

The ministry, in a statement issued to newsrooms, clarified that the single-shot vaccine had not been deployed until Thursday hence any persons who may have been offered the J&J shot prior to the said date was duped.

The first batch of 141,600 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines was received in the first week of September 2021.

Mercy Mwangangi, Health Chief Administrative Secretary ,who received the shipment in Nairobi said the arrival of the vaccine doses will boost ongoing vaccination drive that targets 10 million adult Kenyans by the end of 2021.

"The single dose administration will ensure that these populations will be fully vaccinated quickly. The ministry will therefore prioritize the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine toward the primary healthcare level," Mwangangi said.

She said that the country will continue to carry out targeted initiatives as well as employ a hybrid approach when it comes to outreach programs as it seeks to reach as many people as possible.

The health ministry official said the single-shot vaccine is expected to be of great utility particularly when reaching the primary healthcare level of the country's health system where the uptake of the vaccine continues to be low.

The ministry further urged the public to remain vigilant as the government activates multiple vaccine deployment.

The vaccines are being deployed to authorized public and private health centers across the country.

Copyright Capital FM. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source News Service English