Kirinyaga County Governor, Anne Waiguru, has cautioned the county residents against ignoring the laid down Covid-19 prevention guidelines.
Waiguru said even though the disease has subsided, it should not be construed to mean it is not there.
The governor spoke at Kerugoya County Hospital while receiving Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that was donated for healthcare workers by Safaricom Foundation.
She dismissed the narrative being peddled by some people that the corona virus has been eliminated saying that everyone must continue applying all the measures to protect themselves from contracting the virus.
“We are asking our people not to let their guard down as there is still a chance of a recurrence if we are not careful,” said the governor.
She appreciated the county’s healthcare providers for their efforts in ensuring that the virus did not get out of hand in the county.
Waiguru said that county health officials will continue educating the public on the need to continue following the protective guidelines such as wearing masks, washing hands and keeping social distance among others.
The governor thanked Safaricom Foundation for the donation saying they will help the county’s health workers as they serve the residents.
“You know the county is financially constrained since it does not receive adequate funding from the national government. We therefore appreciate every effort from all our partners who have supported us in ensuring that our health workers remain protected from contracting Covid-19,”said Waiguru.
The items donated included 250 packets of surgical face masks, 30 packets of surgical gloves, 30 pieces of Hazmat suits, 500 protective goggles, 174 N95 masks, 50 disposable surgical gowns and 80 bottles of hand sanitizers.
Waiguru said that the county has so far registered 88 positive cases out of 856 samples collected. Out of the cases, 83 patients have recovered and four have lost their lives. Out of the recoveries, 69 were from home-base care while 14 were from the isolation centres. Currently one patient is under home-based care.
Safaricom’s Senior Manager, Mt Kenya Region Enterprise Channels Department, Josephine Mwikali, said the donations were part of Safaricom Foundation’s initiative to respond to the needs of Kenyans in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By Irungu Mwangi
