This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
Kenyan Health Workers at Risk as COVID-19 Cases Rise ¶
As of July 11, 2020, COVID-19 cases in Kenya had risen to 9,726 after 278 more people tested positive for the disease.
One more Kenyan doctor has been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) as COVID-19 cases continue to escalate in the country, closing in on the 10,000 mark.
Health Director General Patrick Amoth said the government was doing all it could to protect frontline workers against the pandemic, providing them with personal protective equipment (PPEs) and psychosocial support.
"The risk is high and most of our health workers are exposed including in the community. We are giving them PPEs and psychosocial support to ensure their safety," Amoth said.
Since the first case was confirmed in March, over 250 health workers have contracted COVID-19, with one doctor, Doreen Lugaliki, succumbing to the disease on July 10.
Healthcare workers are calling on the government to ensure their welfare, occupational safety, and health are prioritized.
"Indeed another one of our own colleagues is in ICU. We reiterate and remind the government of Kenya and all private health facilities that the welfare, occupational safety, and health of frontline workers is a non-negotiable minimum," said KMPDU acting secretary general Chibanzi Mwachonda.
On July 8, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe revealed that at least 257 health workers had contracted COVID-19 since the first case was confirmed in the country on March 13.
