One person has reportedly died after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine jab, the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PBB) announced on Wednesday.
The Board is yet to determine if the death was as a result of side effect following the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine or not.
So far, PPB says 279 Kenyans have reported cases of wild side effects after the jab.
This raises tension among Kenyans who are hopeful of getting the jab to protect themselves against the virus.
In the UK, seven people reportedly died on Sunday after developing blood clots soon after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.
According to BBC, 30 people out of the 18 million people who have received the jab so far are said to have developed blood clots.
AstraZeneca’s spokeswoman said that “Patient safety remains the company’s highest priority.”
UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency noted that the gains of the vaccine are high than the risks, a stand that has also been adopted by The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency.
Already, a dozen countries in Europe have suspended the administration of AstraZeneca vaccine following increased cases of blood clots.
Sweden, Latvia, Luxemburg, Germany Italy, France, Spain, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands are among European countries that have suspended use to AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
However, Dr June Raine, the MHRA chief executive noted that: “The benefits… in preventing Covid-19 infection and its complications continue to outweigh any risks and the public should continue to get their vaccine when invited to do so.”
“Investigations are under way to determine if the AstraZeneca vaccine is causing the very rare blood clots. Earlier this week the European Medicines Agency said it was “not proven, but is possible”.
