Kenya's govt urged to upgrade health facilities as coronavirus cases soar

County Governments have been urged to upgrade their health facilities to accommodate cases of coronavirus as infections soared to 2,474.

Health Chief Administrative Secretary, Dr Mercy Mwangangi told a news conference on COVID-19 that it is imperative for Governors to move with speed and utilize the Sh5 billion disbursed to them from Treasury.

She emphasized that county governments' preparedness is crucial in the fight against the virus confirmed in 34 counties. Kenya has 47 county governments each managed by a Governor.

"The importance of the county level of preparedness is a key factor in the fight against the pandemic. We are witnessing community spread and county facilities are where those infected are to be managed," she said.

In a report released by the Kenya Medical Association (KMA), the peak in health care utilization is expected to occur around February 2021 with up to 356,000 hospital beds and 115,000 ventilators required in that month alone.

Nairobi, Kiambu, Meru, Machakos, Nakuru and Kakamega are projected to consume up to 30% of the national resource requirements for the treatment of severe cases.

Mwangangi reiterated the need for Kenyans to continue observing public health measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus that has so far infected 2,474 people in the country.

She said total compliance by Kenyans especially in the observation of social distance in public gatherings would lead to enormous success in the fight against the virus.

"As we soldier on we are confident that the outbreak will eventually recede and the enemy will be defeated. We do not know when but we can hasten it by adopting modes of behavior that limit movement of the virus and eliminates surfaces that can promote infection," she said.

She said it was unfortunate that majority of Kenyans had thrown caution to the wind and insisted that the continuous disobedience of Kenyans would lead to a second wave of the pandemic.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Saturday expected to issue new guidelines following the expiry of the nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew and the cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi's Eastleigh estate, Mombasa's Old Town as well as Kwale, Kilifi and Mandera counties which recorded high infection rates.