The government has moved to assure Kenyans of their safety after the number of suspected cases of the deadly shot up to 13.
The most recent cases were reported in Mutomo in Kitui, Kilimani in Nairobi and Ingobor in Nakuru.
But on Wednesday, the government said that al the 13 cases that have been reported have tested negative.
Further, the government said that there are adequate measures in place to ensure that coronavirus, which is named Covid-19, does not get into the country.
Kenya is on high alert after three more suspected cases of the deadly Coronavirus were reported, bringing the total to 13.
The Chinese national in the Nakuru case ‘quarantined himself’ after jetting into the country from China 11 days ago.
The Health ministry said it has put in place a national contingency plan to guide on priority preparedness and response to contain the threat posed by Covid-19.
“All the 13 cases tested negative. Two of the cases in Mutomo and Kilimani did not meet World Health Organisation (WHO) case definition criteria,” the government said.
An emergency operations centre has also been activated and is closely monitoring the outbreak in China and the rest of the world.
Further, 500 health care workers have been trained and rapid response teams put on standby and will spring into action in case of any emergency.
Many of the newly-trained health workers have been deployed to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
“Mandatory screening at all points of entry to minimise the risk of importation of the virus from affected counties. Isolation facilities have been set up at Kenyatta National Hospital and Mbagathi District Hospital,” the government said.
Meanwhile, the government has also involved private health facilities in Nairobi County to support the provision of additional isolation facilities in the event that the country reports more cases.
The capacity at the National Influenza Centre and Kenya Medical Research Institute has also been raised, to enable the facilities test suspected cases of Covid-29 up to the required international standards.
With support from USAID, the Ministry of Health has also bought additional 5,000 personal protection equipment.
By Wednesday, more than 75,000 cases and 2,000 deaths had been reported by the World Health Organization with majority of them in Wuhan province in China. Wuhan is the epicenter of the deadly disease.
