• Despite its lower efficacy compared to three frontrunners that have announced their results, the Oxford vaccine is more appealing because it is cheap and can be stored in traditional refrigerators.
• Kenya has formed a Covid-19 Vaccine Taskforce to develop policies and guidelines on how the vaccines will be rolled out once available.
Image: REUTERS
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine may be ready for distribution in Kenya by January or February 2021, a member of the National Covid-19 Vaccine Taskforce has said.
The official told the Star Kenya would immediately grant the emergency use authorisation of the vaccine if AstraZeneca gets such approval from US or UK governments. This will allow shots to be given to certain people while studies of safety and effectiveness are ongoing.
Oxford and AstraZeneca last week said they would submit the latest trial data to regulators in the UK, the European Union and Brazil, and would seek emergency authorisation to start distributing the vaccine in those places.
British and EU regulators have been conducting rolling reviews of the vaccine, which could fast-track the process.
“If all things go as planned, it may be ready for distribution in Kenya by January or February next year. We will give frontline workers, old people and those with comorbidities priority,” the official said.
The taskforce was formed after four pharmaceutical companies announced promising efficacy levels of their vaccine candidates.
AstraZeneca also said it will share its trial data with the US Food and Drug Administration but did not say when it would apply for authorisation for emergency use there.
But Kenya is relying on a supply network called Covax facility, organised by Gavi, the World Health Organisation and Unicef and supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among other institutions.
The facility says it has already secured millions of ready-made doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate, ready for distribution to 92 developing countries. It will buy vaccines, discount the price and sell to Kenya at about Sh300 per dose.
Despite its lower efficacy compared to three frontrunners that have announced their results, the Oxford vaccine is more appealing because it is cheap and can be stored in traditional refrigerators.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, noted the Oxford vaccine can utilise standard 2-8 degree cold chain infrastructure for transport, storage and delivery.
"Positive early data on any vaccine candidate is welcome news—even more so when it concerns a vaccine candidate that can be transported and delivered via traditional refrigeration and storage methods, and the manufacturer has committed to supplying on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the pandemic,” Dr Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO, said in a statement.
He said they have already secured “hundreds of millions of doses” of the candidate through an MoU between Gavi and AstraZenecal, as well as agreements between Gavi, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Serum Institute of India, the contracted manufacturer.
Gavi, Unicef and the WHO created the Covax Facility, a global mechanism that seeks to deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.
Ninety-two developing countries, including Kenya, will receive vaccines through Covax early next year. Covax has signed agreements for nine different candidates, but the Oxford candidate might reach developing countries first because it can utilise existing infrastructure.
"Access to safe and efficacious Covid-19 vaccines for the most vulnerable groups everywhere in the world is the only way to bring the acute stage of this pandemic under control,” Dr Berkley said.
Last week, Oxford and AstraZeneca released interim results, showing an efficacy result of 70 per cent, with the potential for up to 90 per cent efficacy dependent on dosage and regimen.
Pfizer- BioNTech’s, Moderna’s and Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines have all reported efficacy of more than 90 per cent. However, the first two require ultra-cold storage not widely available in Kenya. Sputnik V can be stored at the standard 2-8 degrees.
The Oxford vaccine—being tested in Kilifi in a phase III trial—uses a harmless, weakened version of a common virus that causes a cold in chimpanzees.
The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, said it has already manufactured millions of doses and will make millions more immediately governments authorise its use.
Kenya has formed a Covid-19 Vaccine Taskforce, which will develop policies and guidelines on how the vaccines will be rolled out once available.
“These are processes that are currently underway. We are quite excited and we are going to have a discussion with AstraZeneca to ensure that Kenya is first in line because about eight countries are in trial for the vaccine,” Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said.
The COVAX AMC recently surpassed its 2020 fundraising target of US$2 billion, with at least US$5 billion more needed in 2021 to procure and deliver fully subsidised donor-funded doses of approved vaccines to vulnerable groups in AMC-eligible economies.
Edited by F'Orieny