The number of people that have received a COVID-19 vaccination jab in Kenya surpassed the 700,000 mark on Monday as the country continues its mass inoculation drive.

According to the latest figures published by the Ministry of Health, some 702,170, majority of whom are aged 58 years and above.

Essential service providers form the majority of the remaining number, including 141,146 healthcare workers, 106,147 teachers and 57,338 are security officers.

Kenya rolled out its mass vaccination drive on March 5 after receiving some 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The country now expects to obtain some 25 million doses for its over 52 million population, with plans in place to roll out the administration of the second doses of COVID-19 vaccines by May 5.

The East African country has so far reported 151,894 COVID-19 infections with 2,501 deaths.

Besides the vaccination drive, various government-imposed containment measures remain in place, including a nationwide nighttime curfew, a partial lockdown affecting the highly affected areas and a mandatory wearing of face coverings.