ANKARA

The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign started on Friday in Kenya for frontline health workers, UNICEF Kenya announced.

“The first #COVAX vaccinations have begun in Kenya! These will help protect frontline health workers against COVID-19,” UNICEF Kenya tweeted.

“UNICEF Kenya is proud to support this initiative which is the largest ever global vaccination rollout,” it added.

On Wednesday, Kenya received over one million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through the global COVAX facility.

The local office of the World Health Organization made the announcement Wednesday, saying 1.02 million doses had arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport onboard a Qatar Airways flight.

According to Kenya’s Health Ministry, the first beneficiaries of the vaccine will include frontline workers such as healthcare professionals, teachers, and security personnel.

“We must not drop our guard. We must continue to practice the hygiene measures that we have learned to trust – keeping a safe distance, wearing our masks, washing and disinfecting our hands. That will keep us safe," UNICEF Kenya stressed Friday.

The ministry Friday reported three more COVID-19 deaths and 400 infections.

So far, the East African country with a population of 55 million has recorded 1,873 COVID-19 deaths, 107,729 infections, and 8,717 recoveries.