By Rob Korom, Chief Medical Officer, Penda Health

As we watch many parts of the world work through the challenges of effective vaccine distribution at scale, we are seizing this opportunity to learn everything we can about how to be effective when our time comes.

Globally, this initial period represents a phase in which demand for the vaccine greatly outstrips supply.  At Penda, we still have hundreds of health care workers on the frontlines who are unvaccinated, and thousands of high-risk patients who would immediately benefit from the vaccine.

During this initial Phase 1 period, we are delighted to see that more than 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been delivered to Kenya.  While there are still a few things to be worked out, such as how exactly verification for vaccine priority will work and how vaccine administration will be recorded, we are thrilled to see the progress being made toward vaccinating frontline health workers in Kenya.

Penda Health is preparing in a few key areas:

1. Right infrastructure

   We consider both the physical assets of vaccine infrastructure such as refrigerators, deep freezers, and cold boxes, as well as the operational infrastructure such as vaccination rooms within existing medical centres.  Penda already operates 22 medical centres across Nairobi and already delivers more than 5000 routine childhood vaccinations every single month in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.  Our procurement department is prepared to increase our refrigerator capacity depending on the number of Covid-19 vaccines we are able to receive.

2. Right technology and data systems

   We believe a strong technology-oriented approach to vaccine delivery is important.  By maintaining electronic health records on our cloud-based digital health system, we are able to monitor in real time our vaccine distribution efforts across all our branches and analyze the data in order to deliver vaccines efficiently and equitably.  Our existing well baby vaccination program is already optimized to automatically flag patients who have missed a routine vaccination.  Penda clinicians working at our Pigia Penda call centre reach out to those patients proactively so that we can dramatically reduce the number of incomplete vaccinations.  This existing process will be extremely valuable for the effective vaccination of adult populations that require more than a single dose, like the AstraZeneca vaccine currently in the country.

3. Effective communication

   It is imperative that our communities receive accurate information about the vaccines from trusted sources.  Since our vision is built around trusted healthcare, we have a lot of experience with ensuring that accurate information from respected sources like the WHO and the Ministry of Health are communicated to our patients through various channels, including our social media pages, the television screens in our medical centres, and through our hundreds of trusted clinical staff.

4. Prioritizing equity

   Penda is committed to making sure that as long as the vaccine is a scarce resource, that we deliver it to people who need it most, not just those who can pay.  The Ministry of Health has already begun to define three phases of vaccine distribution: First, to our frontline healthcare workers.  Second, to those over the age of 50 and those over age 18 who have comorbidities like high blood pressure or diabetes which put them at higher risk.  The third and final phase will be to reach the rest of the population and may take until 2023.  Penda is deeply committed to supporting this equitable distribution timeline to ensure that the public good of the vaccine is maximized to those who will benefit most.  Our strong internal governance and clinical oversight will ensure that we are able to comply with these guidelines.

We are eager for the opportunity to vaccinate our staff, our patients, and our communities, and look forward to engaging with the various stakeholders on this important national effort.