Inspiring outcomes from the pandemic

Former US President John F Kennedy once said: “When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters – one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”

We are currently in a crisis and many opportunities lie therein. The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated families, it has ruined economies and tested the limits of society.

In its advent, the populace was, understandably, in panic mode.  The viral infection had ravaged the world and was spreading with such speed, that it dumbfounded scientists and government leaders. 

Many were groping in the dark not knowing what they were dealing with and because of this, the world came together to fight the pandemic.

Kenyans were caught up in the haze and 15 months since the first infection was recorded locally, the lessons have been many. The magic wand, leaders thought, was “herd immunity”.

This, however, has proven elusive. It was, therefore, reassuring when President Uhuru Kenyatta, buoyed by the resilience of wananchi and swift government policy on the pandemic, lauded Kenyans for their civic responsibility and “herd instinct” coupled with national consensus on what needs to be done. 

The opportunities the pandemic has presented are many. Before Covid-19, the four counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia and Vihiga, with a population of more than five million people, shared a miniscule five-bed ICU facility; today all the counties boast modern Level Five hospitals equipped with critical care units.

The country used to import Personal Protective Equipment, including face masks; today these are being manufactured locally, a development which has seen prices drop tremendously. 

The latest laudable opportunity is the government initiation of a vaccine centre. It is abhorable that Africa, one of the largest consumers of vaccines, has less than 10 manufacturing centres in five countries with less than 10 per cent production capacity.

It is, therefore, heart-warming that President Uhuru Kenyatta has initiated plans to build a fill and finish vaccine plant and also a vaccine-making centre.

This will not only accelerate availability of the doses but it will also reduce costs of the jabs. When the human vaccines centre is established it would be a big development for the region.

The World Bank, in its Global Economic Prospects report, has projected that economies will begin recovering in the second half of the year. But there is a rider; the recovery is pegged on the current vaccination drive.

Therefore, if the local economy is to recover, Kenyans must get vaccinated to avoid the containment see-saw.