This archive report was first published on 20 April 2020.
Published on April 20, 2020, Kenya's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been swift and authoritative, but it can only reduce the rate of the spread of the virus, not eradicate it.
Flattening the curve by reducing the number of people who are ill at any one time serves many purposes, including buying time for the healthcare system to increase its capacity to care for those who eventually get sick.
Waiting for a Vaccine ¶
However, the only way to get rid of the COVID-19 virus is through a vaccine, which is 12 to 18 months away, according to expert opinion.
Given this reality, society and businesses must start thinking about how to move on and try to prosper in spite of the virus.
For this to happen, we need to accept that the containment and mitigation measures are here to stay until we get a vaccine and/or a cure.
Therefore, for the next 12 to 18 months, we must observe extremely high levels of hygiene, which should be reduced to detailed and strict protocols in public and workplaces.
Constant hand washing, wearing masks, and observing social distancing is our new patriotic duty and way of life.
Secondly, we have to ramp up our healthcare system to be able to handle those who will unfortunately but inevitably fall ill.
Finally, we have to prepare ourselves individually for the possibility that we may fall ill, even after doing everything humanly possible to avoid it.
Once we have institutionalized the new way of life, ramped up our healthcare system, and made peace with the possibility of falling sick and even dying, we then need to get back to work as we await the vaccine.
