Govt marks Namanga as high-risk zone for Covid-19 – KBC

The government has identified Namanga in Kajiado County as a high-risk zone for COVID-19.

This is after 25 truck drivers tested positive for the disease within 24 hours.

Speaking Wednesday during his daily brief on coronavirus, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Dr. Rashid Aman said those who tested positive are 23 truck drivers from Tanzania, one from Rwanda and one Uganda.

He said they were denied entry into the country despite Tanzania being a member of the East African Community in efforts to protect Kenyans.

Dr. Aman said a mobile testing lab will be dispatched to the Namanga border point to run Covid-19 tests for truck drivers and people in that region.

He said the facility is key in surveillance and monitoring of the virus in this region

” Yesterday, we informed you about a team that went to Kajiado to ascertain the measure we needed in place to curtail cross border transmission of the disease. Arising from that visit, I want to report that mobile testing lab that will be deployed to Namanga border post shall be ready within a week.”

He said the mobile lab is to be availed from an EAC program and Kenya expects to receive two of them.

So far Kenya has confirmed 737 cases after 22 more tested positive.

Of those who tested positive are 21 Kenyans while one is a Ugandan national.

Aman further announced four more deaths from the disease, three from Nairobi and one from Mombasa bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 40.  

The new patients are aged between 20 and 81 and include 17 males and 5 females. The new cases are 10 from Nairobi, eight from Mombasa, Kajiado three while Bomet reported its first case.

With the confirmation of a positive case in Bomet, the total number of counties in the country that have reported cases has risen to 20.

Dr. Aman also announced that 22 patients were discharged from the hospital, bringing the total number of recoveries to 281.