Kepsa eyes employees in Covid-19 vaccinations
Fears of losing more employees and lower productivity and revenue due to Covid-19 has seen most Kenyan companies embark on a multifaceted vaccinating drive.
Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) unveil 55 locations to host Covid-19 vaccinations for private- sector employees, their families, and neighbouring communities.
Kepsa chief executive Carole Kariuki says the private sector-led effort is meant to boost government efforts to enable the country reach herd immunity sooner and keep jobs.
At the height of the first wave of the pandemic, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Quarterly Labour Force reported that at least 300,000 Kenyans lost their jobs due to coronavirus pandemic between the period of January and March.
Similarly, remittances fell, as some households benefited from direct cash assistance from the State.
Household-run-businesses
The World Bank in a report dubbed Kenya Economic Update: Covid-19 Erodes Progress in Poverty Reduction in Kenya, Increases Number of Poor Citizens, noted that the negative impact of Covid-19 on the private sector had trickled down to household welfare through reduced job opportuni- ties and lower earnings.
“Almost one in three household- run businesses are not operating currently, with revenues decreasing across all sectors,” the Bank announced in its findings.
It is in this light and the need by the government to use opportunities available through the current flow of vaccines into the country to reopen the economy that companies are relying on vaccinating populations of their employees.
“The first phase will be administered with the help of seven hospitals approved by the Ministry of Health.
"The seven are Avenue Hospital, Ger- trude’s Children’s Hospital, Meridian Hospital, MP Shah Hospital, Metro- politan Hospital, Karen Hospital and Nairobi Women’s Hospital,” she said in Nairobi. At its disposal includes close to 70, 000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
