No Kenyans, the Covid-19 curve is not flattening, says MoH – Nairobi News

Decreasing coronavirus cases do not indicate flattening of the curve, the Health ministry has cautioned.

During Tuesday’s press briefing, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman cautioned Kenyans not to be overly optimistic that the worst is over even as daily new cases plunge.

“It is too early to be able to make any determination that the curve is dropping. There are many factors which determine flattening of the curve,” he said, adding that the tests being done are also varying and do not give a clear picture of the curve.

Kenya’s positivity rate, he said, is still high despite the seemingly decreasing numbers of new infections.

On Tuesday, Kenya recorded 271 new Covid-19 cases from over 4,019 samples tested, the third day in a row when just over 200 cases were reported.

Other parameters

According to Dr Francis Kuria, the Head of Public Health, there are other parameters to be considered in determining flattening of the curve.

These include the number of cases still in hospitals and deaths.

“If there is reduction in case fatalities and the number of cases still in hospitals, then we may say the curve is flattening,” he said.

According to Dr Rashid, there is need to reevaluate testing strategies because of the widespread transmission of Covid-19, to focus on particular groups and institutions.

The ministry announced Tuesday that another 208 patients had recovered from the virus, bringing the country’ total recoveries to 17,368.

Five more patients succumbed to the disease, raising the total Covid-19 deaths in Kenya to 487.

While Mombasa cases are going down, Nairobi cases remain high, with national caseload standing at 30,636.

According to Dr Aman, Mombasa County’s containment strategies could be bearing fruit.

He was speaking the Karen Medical Training College when he received personal protective equipment from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. The PPE worth Sh10 million were donated to Daadab Refugee Camp in Garissa County where 80 per cent of all Covid-19 infections are from the camp.