The government has received a consignment of 18,900 swabs and viral transport medium, 18,912 extraction kits, 3790 medical disposable protective clothing, ventilation machines, thermometer guns and medical gloves from Chinese business magnate, Jak Ma.
And the World Health Organisation has also donated a consignment of surgical masks, gloves, face shields, gowns solicited from China, Germany and France.
Speaking on Wednesday while giving the daily update of coronavirus in the country and the response measures, the Health Cabinet Secretary (CS), Mutahi Kagwe said a lot more PPEs will be availed and distributed before the end of the week as government tries to optimise the capacity of the kits available.
Kagwe said the government is undertaking mass testing, isolating and treating confirmed cases, which he noted, will be a game changer because they will be able to isolate cases including asymptomatic ones in good time before they spread.
“Using the risk profile approach, we are working round the clock to double sample collection and testing capacity,” Kagwe said
He said a major damper to the mass testing plan, had been lack of enough reagents owing to the unavailability in the global supply chain which now has since been addressed.
Despite the development, Kagwe cautioned the need for all not to celebrate because of the figures being reported.
He explained that a comparative review of the countries now being overrun by the virus shows that they were reporting similar pattern of figures as the case with Kenya now.
“You will note that our 4.6 percent death rate is within the global range of 6.3 percent . Our figures should therefore not delude or deceive you into dropping the ball,” Kagwe warned.
He insisted that contact tracing, isolation, quarantine, testing, social distancing, face masks and basic hygiene will make the difference if everybody were to enforce the measures with religious zeal.
Over the last 24 hours ,since Tuesday, 803 samples were tested out of which nine turned positive for coronavirus bringing the total to confirmed cases to 225.
The CS said the nine new cases are Kenyan nationals who have no history of travel and none of them was in quarantine centres.
“Five of the cases are from Nairobi and four are from Mombasa and their ages are between 9 and 69 years,” the CS said.
There are also 12 discharges bringing a total of those who have recovered from the disease to 53, he said but added that one more patient had died bringing the total number of deaths to 10.
A total of 2,336 contacts have been monitored, out of which 1,911 have been discharged and 455 contacts are being followed at the moment.
CS Kagwe said the virus is fast slithering into the counties and added that a high level team from the Ministry visited Siaya led by Acting Director General of Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth to inspect the status of quarantine and isolation facilities and hold talks with the County leadership and local residents.
The KNH CEO, Dr. Evanson Kamuri said the isolation ward has only the positive cases and most of who are in good care .
He emphasised that there is no particular cure for Coronavirus but added that medics are engaging in symptomatic management of infected cases and that the more its maintained the patients recover.
“People must take this thing seriously since viruses behave differently to different people so we should not relent because people are getting well,” he insisted and urged those especially who go for quarantine not to be hostile to heath care workers but give them support.
Dr. Kamuri confirmed that mass testing for health care workers began on Tuesday and 100 health care workers who were tested are all safe.
“We are doing targeted testing and started with front liners and now moving to accident, ICUs and Emergency and again restart all over again”
By Wangari Ndirangu
