This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
Published on August 7, 2020, the Ministry of Health's daily figures on Covid-19 infections may not be a true representation of the actual number of cases, according to doctors.
The medics attribute this discrepancy to increased backlog and delays in sample testing, which they say renders the 'test, trace and isolate' exercise futile.
Kenya has yet to meet its target of testing one million people, with only 335,000 samples tested so far, resulting in 24,411 confirmed positive cases.
Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman reported 538 new Covid-19 cases from tests carried out in the past 24 hours, but medics say this number may not be representative of the actual daily rate of community infections among Kenyans due to delays in testing.
"We recommend rapid review of results where best practice is 24-48 hours as opposed to now where it is 5 to 10 days," said Dr Elizabeth Gitau, CEO of the Kenya Medical Association.
The delay in testing results has led to conflict between medics and patients' families, especially in cases where deceased patients incur mortuary bills while their kin wait for results.
Doctors are now advising people who suspect they have been exposed to the virus to isolate as they await results, as timely and accurate test results are vital in informing whether individuals need to be isolated under home-based care or hospitalised for close monitoring by doctors.
