Larry Madowo’s Heartbreaking Story
By: Tonny Otieno
Posted on Thursday, July 22, 2021
Renowned journalist Larry Madowo has revealed that the last few weeks have not been easy for him since the hospitalization of his grandmother.
Madowo had previously stated that his uncle died of Covid-19. He passed on before he could receive the Covid vaccine and currently fears that a similar fate awaits his grandmother.
“Every time I see a call from home, my heart sinks. I always fear that they're ringing to say that my grandmother has died. She has been on a ventilator for four weeks and my anxiety is near breaking point. The dreaded call could come at any time: Covid-19.”
Larry talked about how easy and simple it was to get vaccinated in the US while in Kenya it is a struggle for priority groups.
Statistics suggest that more than half of the population in the United States have already been vaccinated in comparison to only 1.1% of Kenyans.
“I had just finished filming at a crammed ICU treating critical Covid-19 patients in Uganda's capital of Kampala last month when I learned that my uncle Justus had himself died of the virus across the border in Kenya. I was heartbroken and angry. He was not vaccinated because Kenya didn't and still does not have enough shots even for a senior like him.”
Cases of Covid-19 have risen in the western and Nyanza regions of Kenya, something that forced the government to direct new Covid-19 policies in the 13 most affected counties.
Currently, the government has begun bringing in new vaccines aside from the AstraZeneca whose scarcity has delayed vaccination drive in the country.
President Uhuru Kenyatta in his last address announced that 13 million vaccine shots are to be expected from Johnson and Johnson next month.
"With a vaccinated population of 30 million people, this will allow us to begin the journey for Herd Immunity."
