The daily new COVID-19 cases in Kenya, reached over 550 on 11 March.
Kenya officially announced a third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak this week. This was after the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Africa region reported a “slight uptick in cases and an upward trend in 12 countries, including in Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Cameroon.”
According to the Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa during the weekly press conference there is an upward trend in some countries in Africa.
Last Friday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta tightened up the country’s COVID-19 measures, extending the 9pm curfew and decreeing that bars and restaurants close by 9pm.
Kenya recorded 713 new cases and 12 deaths on Wednesday, a record number since the start of this year. The positivity rate is up to 14% since November last year and the country’s total official death toll is 1,898. The Africa CDC reported a 13% average increase in deaths for Kenya for this week’s COVID-19 epidemiology update.
Mutahi Kagwe, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health, said there had been an increase in the number of patients on ventilators and in need of oxygen and warned that the situation could worsen.
“We are about to start another difficult period, but we can also overcome this period. It has taken a toll on us over the past year, and it is at this time that we can’t let our guard down, “ Kagwe stressed.
Kenya’s ministry of health constituted a National Covid019 Vaccine Deployment Track whose mandate is to guide the Covid-19 vaccines rollout including regulation and safety monitoring, financing, procurement, and logistics.
For inquiries on PPEs and medical supplies contact us: +254110126748 info@ismed.biz
Africa Centres for Disease Control (CDC) director John Nkengasong told last week’s WHO Africa briefing that “we are beginning to see the beginning of a third wave in East Africa.”
The WHO warned that Africa is poised to surpass 4 million COVID-19 infections this week since the continent’s first confirmed case in February 2020 but described the arrival of vaccines in the continent over the past two weeks via COVAX as a “crucial boost.”
More than 14.6 million vaccine doses have been delivered to 22 African countries since 24 February through COVAX, a global vaccine effort co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the WHO.
“While deaths reported have dropped by more than 50% over the past 28 days compared with the previous 28 days, the case fatality ratio or the proportion of deaths among confirmed cases is at 3.6% for the past 28 days. This is higher than the global average,” warned the WHO Africa.
For inquiries on PPEs and medical supplies contact us: +254110126748 info@ismed.biz
Image Credits: Twitter: @WHOKenya, Our World in Data.
Article Source: Health Policy Watch
