The Murang’a Multi-sectoral Covid-19 Emergency Response Committee has closed down the county headquarters due to an upsurge of infections.
The committee sent a letter to the county secretary directing that the offices be closed for the next 14 days with the exception of those offering essential services.
“It has been noted that we have an upsurge of Covid-19 cases in the country and more so in our county with some of the cases reported in our offices,” the letter drafted by the Health executive Joseph Mbai said.
This comes just two days after Mbai gave another directive ordering the closure of bars in Mukurwe and Njai-ini villages in Gatanga subcounty.
Mbai said the two villages had recorded over 50 infections in the last two weeks, adding that even people placed under the home-based care were not isolating.
Mbai further noted that the rate of infections in the county had spiked and that the number of patients in the isolation centre at Murang’a Level 5 hospital had increased from just 10 to 31 in the two weeks.
One family from Mukurwe village lost three members and two neighbours to the virus in 10 days.
Murang’a municipality board's Health and Sanitation Committee chairperson Dr Bernard Muia expressed concerns that the number of infections continues to soar as a result of failure by residents to observe Covid-19 prevention protocols.
Muia, a medical doctor, said the high infections are a result of social gatherings that residents continue to attend. He expressed concerns that more people may lose their lives if people do not take sufficient measures to protect themselves.
“People have forgotten that this disease does not have a cure and doctors are only able to offer symptomatic relief,” he said.
He underscored the need for Kenyans to be vaccinated to enable the country to achieve immune-epidemiology herd immunity so they can go back to their normal lives.
“According to the reports from the Ministry of Health, only about two per cent of the population has received the vaccine. That number is too low. We are also informing Kenyans that they can still get infected and spread the virus even after being vaccinated,” he said.
“It is the responsibility of each of us to protect ourselves and our loved ones by washing hands and maintaining the required social distance,” he added, noting that the increasing infections have caused an influx of patients in local health facilities.
-Edited by SKanyara
