The much-dreaded double mutant variant that has officially been related to the devastating Covid-19 situation in India has been discovered in Kenya.
This was announced today (Wednesday, May 5) by the Ministry of Health through its Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth, who had accompanied the CAS Dr. Rashid Aman to the World Asthma Day celebrations at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
The variant has been detected among five (5) Indian nationals in Kibos area in Kisumu county.
The five who are business people at a fertilizer plant in the region (and are currently quarantined in an untold facility), are said to have arrived in the country on Thursday, April 29, only two days before Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced imposition of a 14-day ravel ban to and from India which took effect on midnight of Saturday May 1.
It has also been revealed that of the travelers who flew into the country during the 72-hour window before the travel ban took effect, 18 of them have tested positive for Covid-19.
According to Ministry of Health Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth, genomic sequencing is currently being conducted by the Kenya Medical Research Institute, KEMRI.
This will determine whether the 18 individuals who tested positive, actually carry with them the Indian variant.
Kenyans continue to be urged to strictly heed to preventive measures as often outlined by the Ministry of Health, as this has majorly contributed to the dampening of the Covid-19 virus severity as is being depicted in daily updates.
Today, 489 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, from a sample size of 4,426. Our positivity rate is at 11.0%. 552 patients have recovered from the disease, bringing to 109,769 total recoveries recorded. Unfortunately, 20 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, bringing to 2,825 the country’s total fatalities.
