This archive report was first published on 9 June 2020.
Published on June 9, 2020, Dr Rashid Aman, Kenya's Health Chief Administrative Secretary, has cautioned against stigmatizing Covid-19 patients and those who have recovered.
Speaking during a Tuesday briefing, Dr Aman emphasized that stigma is likely to undermine testing and treating efforts, putting everyone at risk of contracting the virus.
"Our shared vulnerability to the virus should be a source of solidarity, it is the virus which is the enemy, not people with Covid-19 or those affected by it," Dr Aman said.
He added that no one is free of the virus until "all of us are free".
As the world marks 12 weeks since the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, Kenya's infections have continued to grow, Dr Aman noted.
"We are almost hitting the 3,000 mark. Our epidemiological curve is rising sharply in many of our regions, implying that going forward, we are likely going to record increasing numbers of positives and more people requiring clinical management," he said.
Dr Aman attributed the rising curve to the fact that people are not strictly following measures to control the spread of the virus.
He noted that the key weapons for fighting the disease remain hand washing, personal hygiene, wearing masks, and avoiding large gatherings.
"They have worked in other places and adhering to them can suppress the curve or flatten it," he said.
Yesterday, 127 new infections were reported from 2,247 samples collected from across the country, bringing the total number of infections to 2,989.
From the positive cases, 124 were Kenyans and three were foreigners.
Nairobi County had the highest number of infections at 62, followed by Mombasa (34), Busia (14), Kiambu (4), Kilifi (4), Kwale (4), Machakos (4), and Uasin Gishu (1).
