Lamu residents have been urged to maintain Covid-19 precautions ahead of an initiative to be launched this week to enforce Ministry of Health protocols.
Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia while making these remarks on Lamu Island earlier today noted that Lamu residents have been flouting Ministry of Health regulations for managing Covid-19 with a marked increase in social gatherings especially at weddings.
“Security agencies will soon start making arrests of those found flouting Covid-19 regulations which is here in Lamu,” Macharia said adding that a huge section of Lamu residents have taken to willfully not wearing masks in complete disregard of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The administrator further urged members of the public especially those with underlying conditions and persons above the age of 58 years to go to selected public health facilities in the county to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Lamu has received only 1,500 vaccines with only a paltry 146 have been taken up by residents following rumors that the vaccine is not 100 percent certified.
“The fears that many residents have regarding the Covid-19 vaccine are unwarranted since it has been released following extensive research by scientists and experts globally,” Macharia said.
“Despite reports that as a country we are in the midst of a third Covid-19 wave, residents are still engaging in public gatherings and unless we arrest the situation, we could end up with a serious health disaster,” he said.
Despite the county government receiving Sh13 million from the national government under the nationwide Covid-19 fund, the county medical services department has only one functioning Intensive Care Unit bed one year into the pandemic.
Dr. Gathoni also said that the national and county government are working together to ensure mass vaccination, with the county government planning for June to rollout a mass Covid-19 vaccination
By Amenya Ochieng
