This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
Kenya's Covid-19 cases have soared to 1,109, with the government projecting the peak to be between August and September, with daily infections expected to hit 200.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe has expressed concern over new symptoms exhibited by Covid-19 patients, including gastrointestinal distress syndrome and chickenpox-like lesions.
According to Kagwe, a significant number of patients are exhibiting non-typical flu-like symptoms, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and delirium.
The government has increased testing capacity by about 40 per cent, with 80 people testing positive on Thursday, the highest number of infections reported so far in a single day.
While the new symptoms have not been seen in Kenya, Kagwe is urging the public and medics to be aware of them, as they have been reported in other countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and the United States.
“The cases have so far not been seen in Kenya. We nonetheless need to be cognizant of them, because, in each of these cases tested for antibodies, the results were positive, which indicate that the patients had been exposed to COVID-19. I would, therefore, like to encourage you, the public and our medics to be alive to these symptoms”, said Kagwe.
Re-emergence of the disease has also been reported in several countries, including Lebanon, Iran, South Korea, Germany, China, and Ghana, where measures have been reimposed after a rebound in new cases.
“I, therefore, urge Kenyans to keep the social distancing requirement, isolation and wearing of masks guidelines that the Ministry of Health has issued. This is to ensure we succeed in containing the disease without erasing our gains” Kagwe advises.
375 patients have so far recovered.
