Police in Gatanga, Murang'a County have launched a manhunt for a man suspected to have contracted Covid-19, who has since gone missing.
The Man is reported to have been coughing uncontrollably on the evening of Wednesday, May 20, and was abandoned at Ndunyu Chege area of Gatanga, after efforts to reach the county emergency team were unsuccesful.
In a video obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the man is seen lying on the ground helplessly as he coughed persistently. Unsure of what was ailing him, residents were afraid of getting into contact with him.
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Gatanga DCC David Rotich revealed that the county ambulance delayed in response, arriving at the scene at around 2 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, but the man was no longer there.
"I saw the video at around 10 p.m. then I started investigating. So I can't be sure the exact time he had been spotted there. The ambulance delayed and arrived at around 2 a.m with the response team. I am told it had gone to Nairobi but the bottom line is we have to look for him regardless of his ailment.
"We are appealing to him wherever he is to visit the nearest hospital. Whoever sees him should alert police or health officers," Rotich stated.
The incident proceeds a rallying call to members of the public by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, urging them to present themselves for Covid-19 testing.
The health CS had stated that the government could not move around and test every individual. He argued that the Ministry was doing more of target testing, in which they narrowed down on Covid-19 hotspots.
On May 21, 22 people were quarantined in Kirinyaga after they came into contact with a Covid-19 positive case.
Health officers in charge of Covid-19 in the county received a call from Afya House that the 55-year-old truck driver had tested positive for the virus at the Malaba border and left behind his analysis report.
He was intercepted by health officers at Kutus and was taken to Kerugoya Hospital before an ambulance ferried him to Nairobi for isolation.
County Commissioner Moses Gicharu stated that they had got to the driver before he mingled with residents and that those who had been taken into mandatory quarantine would start observation by health officers.
22 people taken to quarantine in Kirinyaga after 55-year-old truck driver tested positive for covid-19 #DayBreak pic.twitter.com/qqfQRTrK0I
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) May 21, 2020
