Health CAS Dr. Mercy Mwangangi on Wednesday said that residents of Mombasa county are at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus than those in Nairobi.
The two counties are ranked as high burden counties but Mombasa has a higher risk of transmission than Nairobi.
Nairobi has recorded 2,428 positive cases followed by Mombasa with 1,304 cases but despite coming second to Nairobi, it has a high infection rate of 107.9% the the epicenter, Nairobi with 55.2%.
Kenya as a whole has an average infection rate of 10.4%, according to Mwangangi.
The CAS said Kenya is the only country in the region with the ability to implement homebased strategies as a means to combat the virus.
She said the protocols were developed with strict adherence to WHO guidelines and were were arrived at after far reaching consultations to relive pressure on health systems. Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho when he unveiled a coronavirus treatment centre.[p/c]“This is in consideration that 78% of the infected persons are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms which can be managed at home,” The CAS said.
Adding that the guidelines were adopted while taking into consideration the local socio-economic situation, Mwangangi reiterated that the current numbers being reported are as a result of community transmission.
So far 40 counties have reported virus cases but still, all eligible patients for the home-based care will be subjected to an assessment by health officers.
“Eligible patients should not have any other underlying conditions. They will only be discharged at least 14 days from the date of their first test, a period during which they should not display symptoms,” Mwangangi said.
Kenya reported 254 positive cases today bringing the numbers to 5,206.
The numbers continue to rise as the country expects the president to lift a raft of measures that were introduce to stem the spread including dusk to dawn curfew and travel restrictions.
In Mombasa, the government has a plan to construct a temporary bridge at the Likoni channel. The project is expected to take six months and the contract has been awarded to a chinese firm.
More than 300,000 kenyans at the coast used the busy Likoni channel daily.