This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
Kenya has taken a significant step to contain the spread of Covid-19 by setting up a mobile laboratory at the Namanga border point, targeting long-distance drivers.
According to Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman, the new laboratory is expected to improve disease surveillance and facilitate the testing of truck drivers at the border point.
On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 25 truck drivers were found to have the virus at Namanga, bringing the total number of foreign truck drivers blocked from getting into the country since Monday to 32, with 30 being Tanzanian nationals.
As of May 13, 2020, the total number of cases in Kenya stood at 737, with four more people dying, bringing the total fatalities to 40. On a positive note, 22 more recoveries were reported, bringing the total number of Covid-19 patients discharged from hospital to 281.
The plan to increase the testing capacity at the Kenya-Tanzania border follows reports of increased coronavirus cases there, undermining the country’s effort to contain the virus.
Health CAS Rashid Aman said, “We shall soon be receiving mobile laboratories from the East Africa Community to improve disease surveillance... The two fully-equipped laboratories are capable of carrying out Covid-19 testing.”
Ministry of Health director-general Patrick Amoth added, “The new mobile laboratory will address the snarl-up at the border and ensure the seamless movement of cargo from Tanzania to Kenya, and vice-versa.”
