Leaked Coronavirus Patient Details Shocks Govt Into Action

Medical practitioners dressed in protective gear at a Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility at Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Medical practitioners dressed in protective gear at a Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility at Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Simon Kiragu
KENYANS.CO.KE

The government has threatened to take unspecified action after information filtered out to the public on Saturday, indicating that a patient with the Coronavirus-like symptoms had jetted into the country.

In a statement, Government Spokesperson, Cyrus Oguna, indicated investigations had been launched to establish the source of the leaked information.

"Investigations have been launched to determine how privileged and confidential patient information was leaked out and shared on social media," the statement reads.

Oguna further indicated that tests at the M.P Shah Hospital, where the patient was admitted and later died, had established that the man was cleared of the virus.

Medical practitioners at a Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Medical practitioners at a Coronavirus isolation and treatment facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Simon Kiragu
KENYANS.CO.KE

"The Government wishes to inform the public that there is NO confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in Kenya. Last evening, one suspected case (now deceased), was investigated at MP Shah hospital but turned negative on testing for COVID-19," Oguna added.

The spokesperson further added that there would only be three information channels through which any information pertaining to the virus will be communicated.

These channels, he stated, would be through the Cabinet Secretary for health, the government spokesperson or any other officials designated by the ministry of health to inform the public.

The spokesperson also gave Kenyans a hotline number through which they would be required to pass across any suspected cases of coronavirus when they come across it.

The country was on Friday, March 6, treated to the shocking news that a Kenyan of Asian descent had jetted into the country with flu-like symptoms.

Reports at the time indicated that the patient experienced a rise in body temperature and had difficulty breathing, after which he was rushed to a private hospital, where he died hours later in the ICU ward.

The 56-year-old man, whose name was not revealed, is alleged to have been admitted at a private hospital in Nairobi before his demise on March 7.

A health practitioner in protective gear at Coronavirus treatment and isolation facility in Mbagathi District Hospital, Nairobi on Friday, March 6, 2020.
A health practitioner in protective gear at Coronavirus treatment and isolation facility in Mbagathi District Hospital, Nairobi on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Simon Kiragu
KENYANS.CO.KE
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