Kenya to start giving COVID-19 booster shots

FILE PHOTO: A civilian receives the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a makeshift tent as the government orders for proof of vaccination to access public places and transport, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya December 23, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya will offer COVID-19 booster shots to individuals six months after their initial shots, the health ministry said in a document published on Saturday, a day after the country logged its highest rate of positive COVID-19 tests.

Kenya last month said it would demand proof of vaccination to access public spaces and transport from Dec. 21. The move met https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/new-covid-19-vaccine-rule-catches-many-kenyans-by-surprise-2021-12-23 with a combination of bemusement, dismissal and occasional spot enforcement, given the country's low vaccination rate. By Friday just over 14% of Kenyan adults had been fully vaccinated.

A court has since halted https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/court-halts-implementation-covid-vaccination-requirement-kenya-2021-12-14 the proof of vaccination measure amid uncertainty over who would police it and what to do about people unable to access vaccines.

The East African country confirmed https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/rwanda-confirms-six-infections-with-omicron-variant-2021-12-15 the presence of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the country almost two weeks ago and on Friday registered nearly 33% positive cases from a little more than 9,000 COVID-19 tests.

The mnistry statement on Friday also said that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to children over 15 years old.

Kenya uses the AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

(Reporting by Ayenat Mersie; Editing by David Goodman)