11 new Coronavirus cases confirmed in Kenya now 281 – Health CS Mutahi Kagwe
11 more persons have tested positive of COVID-19 bringing the total number to 281. 5 are females and 6 are males.
Two patients have recovered, one of them a doctor – Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.
✅11 Positive
✅7 from our quarantine centres
✅Total 281 Positive cases
✅2 recoveries, 1 of them a Dr
✅69 Recoveries
✅Deaths remain at 14
Of the 11 cases, 7 are from Bondeni Old Town in Mombasa County and 4 foreign nationals from Nairobi (Ruaka area) . The 11 are all aged between 11-80 years old.
None has a recent history of travel.
7 of the positive cases are from came from the quarantine centers,
4 were picked up by the surveillance teams from various parts of the country.
“A total of 2,778 contacts have been monitored, out of which 2,102 have been discharged. 676 contacts are being followed by public health officials at the moment. A total of 13,872 samples have been tested so far”.- Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.
We have cases in Kitengela, Kamulu, Tana River, Ongata Rongai among others. Let us continue practicing social distance to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in our communities. Stay encouraged and stay safe.
In Machakos for instance, we have seven (7) cases; Syokimau (2) and one (1) each in Athi River, Kamulu, Rubi Garden Estate, Kithunguni and Viraji. In Kiambu, we have a case in each of the following estates; Githurai, Githurai 45, Ndongoru, Thindigua, Tinganga, Waithaka and Wataalam. Kajiado too, we have cases in Kitengela, Matasia and Ongata Rongai. In Murang’a, we have two cases in Gatanga and Lumumba Drive. All these cases are being treated in our various hospitals and we hope they will be the last of the cases in your Counties”.- CS Kagwe.
We have 33 active quarantine centres and we have closed down a few others; CS Health Mutahi Kagwe.
We have quarantined 455 persons for defying curfew restrictions.
The success on treatment of #COVID19 is highly dependent on our ability to protect our frontline workers in #KomeshaCorona campaign. The Government has distributed 4,759 PPE’s & 237 assorted components. 30,000 health workers have been trained on & the training is still ongoing.
We have trained over 30,000 healthcare workers and the training is ongoing to reach a target of 100,000.
We have trained over 1000 police officers on COVID-19; CS; Kagwe.
The Ministry of Health, Kenya has distributed 4,759 complete Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits and 237,047 assorted components (Goggles, surgical masks, N95 masks, gloves, gowns, rubber boots, shoe covers etc) to various facilities.
The Ministry of Health has launched a designated isolation centre and treatment facility for the healthcare workers & all costs shall be incurred by the government in collaboration with Amref Kenya and Rockefeller Foundation.
Special appeal to people in Machakos, Kajiado, Kiambu and Muranga. Coronavirus is not a Nairobi disease, it’s something in the neighborhood carried around by your brother, sister or friend.
“Adequate supply of oxygen is crucial in the management of COVID-19 disease. I am therefore appealing to National and County health facilities to settle any debts owed to oxygen suppliers. Those holding oxygen cylinders should also make plans to return them to suppliers, so that we can have them filled up. I am aware we also have a number of Oxygen plants of our own. Facilities with such plants should make haste and repair what is not functional, but also do a quick cost-benefit analysis to ensure we get value for money”. CS Ministry of Health.
We had talked of April as our time of reckoning, but because of global supply challenges, going forward in regard to numbers we expected to have tested. We have two industries, locally that have met the threshold of making PPE’s.
Mass testing has not been ongoing due to the lack of swabs globally. However, targeted testing is taking place across the country.
The current phase of testing involves deployment of targeted testing with a focus on frontline healthcare workers, identified hotspot clusters in Nairobi, Mombasa, enhancing community-based surveillance and screening truck transit drivers.
Our regulatory body Pharmacy and Poisons Board Kenya is now accelerating regulatory decisions regarding approval of COVID-19 test kits by implementing stringent, expedited accreditation mechanism, which has shrunk the process from 3 months to 48 hours.
Pharmacy and Poisons Board Kenya has authorized the employment of 4 test kits for detecting the coronavirus;
✅COBAS SAR-COVID-2 TEST KIT by Roche Diagnostics
✅Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2- by Cepheid
✅Biofire Covid-19 Test by Biofire Defence LLC
✅Abbott by Abbot Molecular Inc
With this approach, our capacity for testing will be expanded from our current 10, to cover at least one laboratory in each county. This is expected to take place in the next two weeks.
Jacquline Kitulu, President KMA: Thank you to the healthcare workers for being at the front line in this fight. We are using innovative measures to ensure health care workers also know how to protect themselves.
William Asiko, MD, Rockefeller: I am glad in just under two weeks we have been able to come to support you against coronavirus. Frontline healthcare workers are sacrificing so much “hatutachoka”.