The latest statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that a very small fraction of the Meru population has been vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Out of the 2,813,477 vaccinated persons in the country, only 53,698 are from Meru County, which is 5.7% of the total population in the County.
In Tharaka Nithi, 19,167 persons have so far received the first dose. Again, this is only 7.8% of the total population in the County.
Nairobi leads with the number of vaccinated persons at 886,582 (29%), followed by Nyeri with 114,163 (22.4%) and Nakuru with 136,229 (10.7%).
The number of fully vaccinated persons in Meru and Tharaka Nithi is even more worrying, considering the gradually increasing number of positive cases and COVID related deaths in the two counties.
Out of the 898,553 fully vaccinated persons in the entire country, only 19,596 are from Meru County, an underwhelming 2.1% of the total population.
Tharaka Nithi County has 6,110 fully vaccinated persons, which again is a poor turnout of 2.5%.
Speaking today after meeting officials from the National Multi-Agency Command Center on COVID-19, Meru Deputy Governor Titus Ntuchiu decried the high vaccine hesitancy witnessed in Meru, even with the availability of enough COVID vaccine doses.
” I appeal to everyone to come out and receive the jab. Those who have not received their second dose of the vaccine should also do so without fail. I also call upon our people to maintain strict adherence to all the MoH COVID-19 protocols even as the vaccination exercise continues,” says Mr. Ntuchiu.
In the latest Ministry of Health report, out of 404 new positive COVID cases in the country, 13 were reported in Meru, while 5 were from Tharaka Nithi County.
Isiolo reported 2 new cases, with Nairobi and Nakuru leading with 66 and 47 cases respectively.
The total number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 249,174, with a total of 1,042 patients admitted at several health facilities countrywide.
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