• The number is also twice higher than the previous three months combined as January had four cases and February reported only one case
• For the past year, a total of 274 health workers have contracted Covid-19 in the county.
Twenty-six Mombasa health workers were infected by the coronavirus in April, a fourfold rise from March when only six cases were reported.
The number is also twice higher than the previous three months combined as January had four cases and February reported only one instance of infection among health workers.
For the past year, a total of 274 health workers contracted Covid-19 in the county.
Three nurses, two stationed at Port Reitz County Hospital and one from Likoni Subcounty Hospital, died of the disease.
“As of May 1, among the cases who had their occupation filled in, a cumulative of 274 health professionals have been reported,” reads the County Covid-19 Outbreak Situation Report.
In April, Mombasa recorded 975 infections. Total infections rose to 10,972, while the infection rate was 9.1 per cent.
The report released on May 2 shows the county recorded the highest infection rate among healthcare workers in November last year, with 66 medics contracting the virus.
In March last year, only one medic was found positive for Covid-19. In April, the number shot to 12, May had 28 cases, with two fewer in June which had 26 infections.
In July, the cases went down to 23, August recorded only 7, but in September the number nearly tripled to 24 infections. In October the number rose again to 32.
Peter Maroko, the secretary general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses, said health workers had problems accessing personal protective equipment, but not any more.
“What we are now facing is a challenge in staffing. We have so many cases of Covid-19 in the region and the nurses are not really enough to take care of the Covid-19 patients,” Maroko said.
He said Mombasa has 678 registered nurses, but 38 have retired and have not been replaced.
“The Mombasa county government should address the challenge of staffing. We need more nurses to be employed so that they can be deployed to the isolation units,” Maroko said.
Out of the 22,562 people who have received the Covid-19 vaccine in Mombasa, 3,935 were health workers. The county targeted 4,500 medics.
Some 1,363 security officers have been vaccinated. Others are 2,651 teachers and 5,963 individuals including those aged above 58 years old.
Mombasa has recorded a total of 10,927 cases, with 10,766 (98.6 per cent) from local transmissions and 161 (1.4 per cent) imported cases. A total of 207 people have died from Covid-19.
(edited by o. owino)