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The Ministry of Health reported 19 more Covid-19 deaths, bringing the toll to 506.
During the daily coronavirus briefing yesterday, Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi (pictured) said the latest death was recorded in the community.
Mwangangi noted that 18 of the patients had underlying health conditions, including a 28-year-old who was diabetic.
The CAS also reported 379 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 31,015. There were 244 new recoveries bringing the total number to 17,612.
Mwangangi warned that although there are fewer numbers due to the sample size, the curve continues to peak.
“Yes, you may see that we have fewer numbers due to tests, but remember that a curve is not just the sample sizes or the numbers that we report daily; there are other studies triangulating to model our epidemiological curve,” she said.
She noted that as the disease evolves, the biggest question now is how to sustain contact tracing as it is a resource intensive exercise. The CAS admitted that doing contact tracing as was the case before is not feasible. “And also with scientists telling us that when it comes to community transmission, you actually have to change your contact tracing approach,” she said.
Mwangangi explained that in the initial days of Covid-19 outbreak in the country, cases were imported and it was easy to do contract tracing, but that has changed. She said countries are now reassessing their contact tracing approach by not focusing on a whole community, but on people who are vulnerable and susceptible.
“Africa CDC informs us that when it comes to contact tracing when you have established community transmission, you need to re-look your approach because the disease is within the community, and contact tracing then and in terms of its merits becomes weaker,” she said.
Mwangangi announced that Kenya is now focusing on research and for the last two weeks a study protocol that will look at use of plasma has been going on.
“This means that we will be taking the blood of someone who recovered from Covid-19 and use it as medicine for moderate cases of the disease,” she said, adding the ministry was looking at investing more in research through the Health Act and implementing a National Research Fund which will create opportunities for Covid-19 research.
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