The Ministry of Health has sounded an alarm over growing numbers of people dying from the coronavirus at home. Clearly, we have a far deeper problem to confront.
It seems there are far many infections than what is officially recorded. Many people contract the disease and some perhaps survive but others die and their status only gets known post-humously.
At the core of this is the question of testing. Far fewer people have been tested to establish the exact levels of infections.
The government has on several occasions announced plans to conduct mass testing to determine the correct number of infections.
But that has never taken off due to lack of testing kits and personnel. Except for the few targeted areas such as Eastleigh and Kawangware in Nairobi and Old Town in Mombasa, the plan remains in limbo. Testing is the surest way of averting infections as it provides reliable data for the appropriate response.
The flipside to it is that Covid-19 comes with stigma. People fear going for voluntary testing because of the perceived negative impact.
One is taken through a quarantine, all contacts starting with family members are rounded up and forced into isolation. Until recently when the government waived fees for isolation in public institutions, quarantine was an expensive affair.
But even after being discharged, the social stigma is nerve-wracking as individuals are isolated and shunned. Which explains why many people shun going for tests or seeking medical services when sick. Indeed, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many people with other ailments have stopped visiting hospitals for fear of getting infected or being diagnosed with the virus.
Not surprisingly, health facilities now lie idle and underutilised, becoming costly to run. In itself, that is a dangerous development and a perfect condition for spread of corona and escalation of other ailments.
The challenge we have with rising numbers of people dying at home due to Covid-19 is that it is swelling infections and worsening the situation. Many people are getting infected but remain outside the government radar and are becoming a threat to themselves, their families and those within their networks.
Thus, the government should intensify public education to sensitise the citizens to seek medical attention when they suspect infection. Local administrators should be roped in and in concert with health workers mandated to carry out surveillance and direct those with suspicious ailments to visit health facilities.
Importantly, those infected should be treated humanely to eradicate stigma that has come to be associated with the virus.
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