COVID-19 Vaccination Technical Guidance
The Kenya National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (KENITAG), Ministry of Health, provides the following recommendations concerning COVID-19 Vaccination:
- Pregnant women – this population should be offered the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna) at any gestational age, at first ANC clinic visit or at first contact with health services. The vaccine can be safely co-administered with Td. Pregnant women who begun vaccination with other types of COVID-19 vaccine should complete vaccination using the same vaccine.
- Children – The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to children who are 15 years of age and above
- People who have completed the primary COVID-19 vaccination series – This population that has been fully vaccinated should be offered an additional dose of either AstraZeneca, Moderna or Pfizer vaccine 6 months after the completion of the primary series (the same or different vaccine can be used for the additional dose)
- Where a serious adverse event/reaction has been reported after vaccination, the individual should be switched to a different vaccine type (either mRNA-Pfizer/Moderna or viral vector-AstraZeneca) for completion of the schedule as per the original timelines. For instance, if a serious
adverse event occurs after Pfizer or Moderna administration, provide AstraZeneca for second dose 28 days after the initial dose. If the serious adverse event occurs after administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, provide Pfizer or Moderna as second dose, 8 weeks after the initial shot.
The event must be captured in the patient record and the MOH AEFI form. The list of serious adverse events can be accessed at serious adverse events - Individuals who have received the first dose of Moderna can receive AstraZeneca as the second dose, 28 days after the Moderna shot was administered.