Nairobi, Apr 9 (IANS): Kenya announced the formation of an independent Covid-19 vaccine safety monitoring board amid surging public acceptance for inoculation against the virus.

Willis Akhwale, chairman of the national taskforce on vaccination, said on Wednesday that the board will respond to potential side effects of the jab on groups targeted for the initial phase of mass immunization against coronavirus, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We want to ensure that all measures are taken in place by protecting populations from developing side effects from the vaccine," Akhwale told journalists in Nairobi.

He said that no case of adverse reaction from the vaccine has been reported in the country except for a few individuals who have reported mild side effects like headache and fatigue.

Akhwale said that contrary to reported cases of blood clots that have been highlighted in some parts of the world after the vaccination, no similar case has been reported in Kenya.

The official said that the ongoing vaccination against Covid-19 does not interfere with routine immunization for children.

Akhwale said that many people will be vaccinated from this week onwards following training for more healthcare workers over the last one week.

He said 340,121 Kenyans have been vaccinated against Covid-19 as of Tuesday since the launch of the exercise in early March.

According to the Ministry of Health, 339,893 Kenyans had received AstraZeneca vaccine doses and 228 received Russia's Sputnik vaccine.