Kenya is aiming to drastically scale up Covid-19 testing of its population, with the Health Ministry having tested 10,784 persons Friday since the first case was reported in March.
The epidemic has killed 11 people, with 246 confirmed cases and 53 recoveries.
On Friday, the ministry received 500,000 three-ply masks, 200,000 testing, and sampling tubes, 4,000 shoe covers for use by frontline health workers, 300 static shoes used in theatres, 76,000 N95 masks and face visors.
“We were getting desperate for some of the items that are on this flight and we are glad to see that the cooperation across all government agencies is what is going to help us in winning this war against this deadly pandemic,” Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
CS Mutahi Kagwe stated that part of the consignment included half a million three-ply masks and 200,000 testing and sampling tubes which are key to fast-track mass testing in Kenya. pic.twitter.com/BuPL7PseRZ
— Kenya Airways (@KenyaAirways) April 17, 2020
Dr Richard Ayah, a senior lecturer in health policy and health systems at the School of Public Health, University of Nairobi poses “The question everyone asks is whether the testing is reaching everyone who is at risk? Given that population that Kenya’s was testing, quarantined persons, are now going home, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has to find a new pool of potential COVID-19 people to test.”
According to Dr Ayah, the ministry needs to identify certain vulnerable groups and do mass testing – health workers, police, people in informal settlements and people with chronic conditions.
“The more cost effective approach, but one that relies on efficient, well trained, well-resourced and motivated public health surveillance teams working in conjunction with a cooperative citizenry is active case finding.
This involves encouraging people to report any COVID-19 symptoms, a surveillance team quickly arriving on the scene, testing the suspected COVID-19 person, doing a thorough contact tracing and then isolating and taking care of all before spread occurs.”
On average, Kenya tests 450 samples daily.
Daily new confirmed cases per capita, 3-day rolling average comparing Kenya 🇰🇪 Rwanda 🇷🇼 Uganda 🇺🇬 and Tanzania 🇹🇿
Overall Uganda recording fewer new cases followed by Rwanda while Tanzania is on an unprecedented surge.https://t.co/WmiuXhDXqy pic.twitter.com/0GZDyFZprU
— 𝗗𝗿 𝗔𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗞𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗶, 𝕆𝔾𝕎 (@DrAhmedKalebi) April 18, 2020
EAST AFRICA
TANZANIA
Tanzania has recorded 53 new Covid-19 cases raising the tally to 147, Health minister Ummy Mwalimu said in a briefing on Friday.
The new cases were reported in the commercial hub Dar es Salaam (38), semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar (10), Mwanza City on the shores of Lake Victoria (1), northern Kilimanjaro (1) eastern Pwani province (1), Lindi region (1), and Kagera in northwest Tanzania (1).
The country has reported five deaths.
UGANDA
Uganda has registered 55 confirmed cases.
RWANDA
On Friday, Rwanda’s Ministry of Health announced five new COVID-19 cases raising the country’s confirmed cases to 143.
The country further announced the extension of lockdown to April 30. It was to end on April 19th.
Coronavirus Cases spike in Kenya With Rising Community Spread
