Kagwe urges hospitals to expand ICU facilities

The Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has today urged hospitals to quickly expand their Intensive Care Unit(ICU) facilities.

Speaking during the Covid-19 briefing, he said that the ministry has asked the county taskforce to identify areas that they can convert to isolation facilities.

“We are urging our hospitals to quickly expand their ICU facilities. We have asked the county task force to identify areas we can convert to isolation facilities,” he said.

He also pointed out that counties will likely have to take care of their patients because Nairobi county is already dealing with a large number.

“Moving forward, it is likely counties will have to take care of patients at county level,” Kagwe said.

He asked for cooperation and responsible behaviour in the fight against Covid-19.

” I urge Kenyans to be determined to fight this wave. This is not the time to tire but to invigorate our determination so we do not fall on the wayside,” Kagwe said.

The country reported 1,297 new Covid-19 cases from a sample size of 7,450.

The youngest is a two-month-old baby while the oldest is 97 years old.

280 patients have recovered from the disease. But on a sad note, the country has lost 12 patients to Covid-19.

There has also been a flurry of suspensions of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford after European governments suspended the use of the vaccine as a precautionary measure following reports of blood clots.

However, Dr Akwale said the Ministry of Health is confident with the judgment of both the World Health Organization(WHO) and the Europe’s drug regulators.

The government said that the clergy and people with underlying health conditions will be targeted in the next phase of vaccination.

This is as the Ministry of Health finalizes the vaccination of healthcare workers, teachers and security personnel who were the priority in the first phase.

Speaking during the Covid-19 briefing Dr. Willies Akwale denied claims of side effects of the vaccine.

“In Africa, 850,000 doses of the vaccine have been distributed 1,110 cases have been reported and only 10 have warranted an investigation,” he said.

Symptoms registered were headache and pain in the arm.

In Kenya so far, at least 20,000 people have been vaccinated across the country.