The Ministry of Health has appealed to the residents of Mombasa to be vigilant following a rising number of Covid-19-related deaths from home.
In a statement on Wednesday, May 6, acting Health Director-General Patrick Amoth cautioned that cases of Covid-19 positive deaths at homesteads in Mombasa were putting dozens of residents at risk of contracting the virus for anyone who came into contact with the dead.
"In the past one or two weeks, we have realised increased cases of death at the community levels or patients dying upon reaching accident and emergency units, especially in the Mombasa region.
"The risk posed by these critically ill people is huge because they are symptomatic and are likely to be shedding very high levels of the Covid-19 virus, therefore, making them extremely infectious," he warned.
He warned that family members who harbour such patients, as well as community members who visit them, were at a high risk of contracting the deadly virus.
Amoth urged area residents to call the toll-free number, 0800721316, in case anyone exhibited symptoms associated with Covid-19.
"You still remember the symptoms of Covid-19 which are a high fever, dry cough, and difficulty in breathing,"he reminded the residents
He also announced that the rapid response teams would be on the spot to take the patients to hospital and ensure that they were well attended to in case they were found to be positive.
He further noted that it would be hard to distinguish ordinary flu from Covid-19 during the flu season following the heavy rains pounding the country, and urged Kenyans to chose caution rather than take unmitigated risks.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday announced the imposition of a ban on movement in and out of Mombasa's Old Town area as well as Nairobi's Eastleigh Estate after both registered the highest cases in the country.
Of the 47 new cases registered on May 6, thirty-two were from Mombasa, 11 from Nairobi, two from Busia, with Kiambu and Kwale registering one each.
The 47 new infections raise the country's Covid-19 infections to 582.
