This archive report was first published on 25 August 2021.
Central Kenya is facing a severe Covid-19 crisis, with cases and deaths on the rise in several counties. Kiambu County has recorded the fourth-highest cases in the country, with 42 reported cases, followed by Murang’a with 18, and Nyeri with 14.
According to the August 22 Covid-19 national report, the situation in central Kenya is expected to worsen due to a high elderly population, cold weather, and the high prevalence of non-communicable diseases in the region.
Residents in Nyeri County are living in fear, with many preferring to stay indoors to avoid contracting the virus. Nyeri resident Njeri Gathoni, who survived a Covid-19 attack, wrote on social media, “I don’t want to travel. I don’t want to buy anything in the supermarkets. I don’t want to meet anybody. I just want to be safe. “Covid-19 in Nyeri is like waru (potato) in our every meal. Homes are mourning. I once had this cold that scared me so much. I don’t want to go through that again.”
Coffin makers in the region are struggling to keep up with the demand for their services, with Peter Munene saying, “I cannot keep up with the orders, you sell a coffin to one family and barely a week later, they come for another. It’s too much.”
Patients who survive the virus are placed under home-based care due to the increased hospital admissions. Nyeri County has reported 186 cumulative deaths since June 2020, with the month of April 2021 recording the highest fatalities at 48.
Experts predict that the situation will only worsen due to a large elderly population and the cold weather. In Kirinyaga County, 16 Covid-19 patients are on oxygen at various health facilities, most of which are overwhelmed.
County Commissioner Jim Njoka has banned all meetings in Kirinyaga County, saying, “We are in a crisis, Kirinyaga has so far recorded the highest number of Covid-19 infections, we are banning all meetings.”
Murang’a County has also recorded high infection rates, with Kiharu leading with 34 deaths, followed by Maragua with 14 and Kigumo with seven.
Health Executive Joseph Mbai described the situation as “scary” and said the county government has embarked on fumigating public places in efforts to stop the spread of the disease.
At least three counties in central Kenya have set up oxygen plants in their referral and level 4 hospitals in an effort to meet increasing demand for the commodity. Nyeri, Murang’a and Meru have oxygen plants, which will benefit patients even after the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
