The Kenya govt has extended the quarantine period for another 14 days after those in quarantined areas failed to maintain the optimal social distance and hygiene measures.
Speaking during the COVID-19 press briefing today the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Mutahi Kagwe expressed disappointment with some of the people under quarantine who he said have disregarded the social distance directive by even holding parties.
“The government has now instructed medical officials to extend the quarantine for another 14 days because those people might have interacted with positive cases, he argued and noted that the Ministry has started moving persons who are in designated facilities depending on their status to prevent them from infections.”
The CS announced that four people have tested positive of coronavirus disease bringing the total of those who have tested positive to 126.
The government he added has now operationalised and designated Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital to handle COVID-19 cases and is currently handling 20 patients.
To avoid congestion the Ministry has also made arrangements for home based care.
The four positive cases among them three Kenyans and one Pakistani were in a cluster of 300 people who were tested and 72 samples analysed in the last 24 hours.
Three were three male and one female, two of which had travelled from Malawi and Pakistani, while one got the disease locally.
Out of the 2050 people who have been in mandatory quarantine, the CS said 1866 have been tested and those remaining are 184.
“Contact tracing is the largest activity of the government and so far out of 1781 contacts monitored 1100 people have been discharged and 672 people are being monitored in the follow up programme,”Kagwe said.
He revealed that the largest number who have tested positive are those that are under quarantine and are more likely to cause more transmission among those who have been sharing the facilities hence the directive to move them.
The CS also appealed to the youth in the country to join in the efforts being undertaken to combat the Coronavirus Disease. He urged the youth to become part of the programmes of the government in combating the disease. “The youth are the biggest component of our society and also people who are largely mobile and have got energy to help in fighting the disease,” he said. \
“The youth must become part of the solution to the programmes by taking measures, such as not travelling upcountry, organizing themselves as they have been doing so in terms of sanity in matatu SACCOs , markets, cleaning exercises and even in sporting activities. If they organize themselves in a similar format and responsibly they can create a difference between the way we are handling things in Kenya compared to others countries,” he noted.
He also re-emphasized that its the responsibility of every person to ensure measures such as social distancing are adhered to. “ We cannot police social distancing and therefore you can only take responsibility,” he said.
The CS also directed those going to supermarkets to use masks and those using public transport as well.‘ I want to urge any person visiting a supermarket or open air market to wear protective masks to prevent transmission in those areas,”he said .
He noted that the local manufacturing of Personal Protective equipment will keep health workers safe and secure and revealed that KEMRI is now involved in serious research to produce test kits locally.
He also sent his condolences to the family of Captain Daudi Kibati, the pilot who evacuated Kenyans from New York and is being buried today.
“Together with his colleagues, they took a major risk and he was able to evacuate many Kenyans but only for him to succumb to the disease. He made the ultimate sacrifice, Kenyans owe him a great deal,” the CS said.
The Ministry of Health Acting Director-General, Dr. Patrick Amoth added that statistics have shown that more men than female are being infected, currently 57 per cent men and 43 per cent women locally.
He revealed that the country age distribution on Coronavirus is ranging from 2 years old to 72 years with a case fatality rate of 3 percent which shows we have made progress compared to countries such as Italy, Spain and United States.
“Tough times are ahead. Let us not lower our guard and together if we work as we are doing we shall overcome,”,Dr. Amoth said.
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