- He is said to have traveled between March 3 and 4 from Rome, Italy
- His blood samples sent to Nairobi for further tests
An Italian has been quarantined for suspected coronavirus at Siha hospital in Mpeketoni town, Lamu west.
This is the first ever suspected Covid-19 case in Lamu county.
The 74-year-old fell ill on Thursday and presented himself to the hospital with flu-like symptoms that included a high fever, cough and breathing difficulties.
The Italian who owns a permanent residence in the town is said to have traveled between March 3 and 4. He flew in from Rome, Italy, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Ethiopian Airlines.
He later connected a flight from Addis to Nairobi and then flew to Mombasa and Malindi. He traveled to Mpeketoni by road.
A statement from the Siha hospital confirmed the patient was quarantined at the facility and that his condition was being closely monitored.
His blood samples were sent to Nairobi for further tests.
“He came in with a very high fever and when he gave us his travel history, we suspected it could be coronavirus and placed him in quarantine immediately. He is stable and we are monitoring him as we wait for the results of the blood tests,” the statement said.
Lamu county commissioner Irungu Macharia said the patient was being closely monitored.
Macharia urged members of the public not to panic and resist the urge to speculate and await the blood test results from Nairobi.
Only the CS for Health Mutahi Kagwe can issue official communication on any confirmed cases of coronavirus, he said.
“We are aware of a suspected case of coronavirus in Mpeketoni and the patient has since been quarantined. A sample of his blood has been sent to Nairobi for tests. Let us not speculate but wait or the results,” Macharia said.
Kenya has so far recorded seven confirmed cases of the Covid-19.
Edited by Henry Makori