(KDRTV)-At least 16 family members have been sent into mandatory quarantine after coming into contact with their diabetic kin whose remains tested positive for coronavirus.
Reports intimate that the 55-year-old patient Ernest Kosgei was admitted to the Longisa county Referral Hospital on May 4 after he traveled to Nairobi in pursuit of diabetes treatment
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Reportedly, the patient died the following day at around 1 pm.
According to Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Kisumu, a sample from his remains tested positive for COVID-19 in their lab
Since then, the ministry of health commenced tracing of close contacts and placed 16 family members in mandatory quarantine at the Kaplong High School
Certain source also allege that one person who traveled with the deceased on the same day is yet to be traced
Again, by the time this report was published, KDRTV had not established whether the health workers who attended to the deceased had been quarantined or not.
The news has surfaced after the Kenyan government announced that hospitals will force citizens seeking medication to be tested for COVID-19
According to the Health Ministry Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth, this will be mandatory for patient that will be admitted as well as those slated for admission for the dreadful coronavirus
During a presser on Monday at Afya House, Mr. Amoth said that the move is aimed at protecting front line health workers in various facilities
“It is likely that when an asymptomatic case is admitted to hospital, they may spread the virus to the healthcare workers or other patients in the ward, we need to be able to protect those people,” Dr Amoth said.
Thus, according to the reviewed MOH`s guidelines, all patients seeking admission in health facilities will undergo mandatory testing
“Before you are admitted to hospital, one of the tests that you will have to undergo will be a Covid-19 test, this will protect frontline health workers and other patients whose immune system may be compromised,” Dr Amoth added.
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Dr. Amoth also ensured Kenyans that the government is considering all approaches to distribute tests kits so that no Kenyan misses medication because they had not tested for COVID-19
