NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 21 – 17 patients succumbed to coronavirus on Saturday raising Kenya’s death toll to 1, 366.
The new fatalities include those of two medical specialists who lost the battle to the virus.
Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) announced the deaths of Kidney Specialist Dr. Anthony Were Omollo and Dental specialist Dr. Nira Patel who succumbed to COVID-19 related complications.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said an additional 1, 211 people had tested positive for the virus raising the country’s caseload to 76, 404 cases.
Kenya has experienced a surge in the number of infections since September.
The World Health Organization on Thursday launched the ‘Mask Up, Not Down’ campaign that aims to reach over 40 million young people in Africa with positive messages on the correct use of masks through social media, and to combat complacency, fatigue and misunderstanding around COVID-19 prevention measures.
The Council of Governors (CoG) was also set to launch the ‘no mask no service’ campaign on Monday, to sensitize Kenyans on the need to wear face masks all the time.
The Council’s Chair Wycliffe Oparanya told journalists on Friday that the campaign which is to be conducted across all the 47 counties aims at reinforcing the government’s position that personal responsibility is key in the fight against COVID-19 following a surge in infections.
“This will be conducted using all safe means available to pass and share the message and including vernacular radio stations and other communication channels at the county Level,” he said.
In addition, Oparanya said the county governments working jointly with County Commissioners under the County Emergency Response Committees (CERC) will thereafter launch the joint enforcement of the Ministry of Health COVID-19 protocols.
In order to stem the increased spread of COVId-19 infections among healthcare workers, Oparanya said the council will endeavor to ensure that all healthcare workers have access to quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) kits approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
“To this end, counties are working closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that they procure quality PPE kits from Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA),” he said.
