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The Ministry of Health will conduct random Covid-19 tests in schools to monitor the infection rate among children.
Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman said yesterday the testing is based on the premise that a majority of the cases, especially among children, are asymptomatic.
Dr Aman said while there are already laid out protocols on how symptomatic cases should be handled in a school environment, the challenge is among children who are sick but show no symptoms. This, he said during the daily Covid-19 update, will require some form of monitoring from the ministry.
“We will be required to do some level of testing to see whether there is infection among asymptomatic cases,” he said.
Up to 93 percent of Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic.
Tested positive
Yesterday, 318 more people tested positive for the virus raising the total number of cases to 41,937. This came as 10 more people died raising fatalities to 787. So far, 31,340 people have recovered from the disease.
“The risk of children spreading the virus as thought earlier is not as bad as what was considered before,” he said. “But we will have to closely monitor and take appropriate action that will be deemed fit at that time.”
Over three million learners have reported back to school across the country following the directive by the government on resumption of studies. Speaking separately, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said yesterday the government has mobilised over 1.7 million face masks to distribute to learners.
Schools partially reopened on Monday with Standard Eight, Grade Four and Form Four learners reporting back, six months after their closure following the Covid-19 outbreak.
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