The Kenyatta National Hospital and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital are now among the Covid-19 testing facilities as revealed by the ministry of health.
Announcing on Sunday, April,19,2020, MoH said the tests conducted at KNH and MTRH will complement the efforts put by existing facilities and boost the fight against Covid-19 in the country.
Tests conducted at MTRH will cover 22 counties with samples having to be transported to Nairobi for further testing while KNH will serve the Nairobi metropolitan area.
The Health Ministry CAS Mercy Mwagangi said the main focus has now shifted to local transmissions as imported cases are very minimal and have been contained to an extent.
“Our analysis shows that 56 percent of all our confirmed cases were imported, and only 44 percent have been locally transmitted. With the support of Kenyans, we have worked flat out, including taking unpopular measures, to limit the spread of both sets of transmissions. So far, we have succeeded to contain the imports,” CAS Mwagangi said.
The CAS noted that fewer cases are still emanating from original quarantine facilities where travelers from foreign countries were isolated in.
CAS Mwagangi urged the members of the public to be more vigilant and take it as their responsibility to help in containing the spread of the virus.
“It is now the local transmissions that worry us the most, and because we do not know, and cannot know, everyone who is infected, ladies and gentlemen, the function of public health and national security is everyone’s responsibility, “she urged.
So far Kenya has reported 270 cases out of the 13,239 samples with tests being conducted in various facilities across the country. The virus has claimed the lives of 14 people while 76 have recovered.
The CAS said the with the Covid-19 cases being reported in almost every estate in Nairobi, Mombasa estates have equally been affected.
“On Saturday, we gave you the rundown of the affected areas of Nairobi County, where almost every estate has a case. The situation in Mombasa is not any better,” she said.
12 estates in Mombasa have been affected with Nyali leading with 11 cases, Mvita has seven and Kisauni-seven, Changamwe has two and Bamburi have two each. Beach Road, Mamba Village, Mogadishu, Mkomani-Tamarind, Maweni-Kongowea, Twiga Road and, Umoja have recorded one case each.
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