About 80,000 passengers entering Vihiga County have had their temperatures taken in the last 10 days as the county enhances anti-covid-19 drive.
The County Disease Surveillance Officer, Bernard Makatiani made the revelation during the County Covid-19 Emergency Response Committee (CCERC) meeting on Wednesday.
An average of 80,000 passengers entering the county from neighbouring counties have had their temperatures recorded as per Tuesday evening as an initial step that can lead to screening for the novel coronavirus, he said.
According to Makatiani, some three passengers whose temperatures exceeded 37.5 degrees were removed from the roads and taken to the nearest quarantine centres for further medical examinations in accordance with standards set out by the World Health Organization (WHO), he added.
Blood samples of the three were taken to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Kisumu for Covid-19 testing but returned negative results. Two of the passengers were picked at Gamboji junction as they travelled from Kisumu, while the third one who was from Kakamega was pulled out at Keyeve.
“However, results from KEMRI have cleared them of the virus,” Makatiani informed the committee that was co-chaired by Governor Dr. Wilber Ottichilo and the County Commissioner (CC), Ochilo Oyugi.
The officer further informed the committee that the health department had so far taken samples from ten people for testing, among them the three passengers, for the contagious virus in the county.
He clarified that the other seven cases were randomly picked in the county. “Two cases were picked from a village in Luanda where they had attended the burial ceremony of close relative who died in Nairobi,” he added.
“However, none of the ten cases has tested positive for the Covid-19,” said Makatiani adding that results for the same had already been transmitted to the Ministry of Health in Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the department of health and the county security team have designated four screening points at Gambogi junction (Kisumu-Majengo road), Serem junction (Kapsabet-Chavakali Road) Keveye junction (Kakamega-Chavakali road) and Buyangu junction (Busia-Kisumu Highway).
The border points are used to check and screen passengers using vehicles entering the county from Kisumu, Nandi, Kakamega and Busia Counties respectively.
By Maurice Aluda
