The Kitui county Health department has disclosed that 108 persons in the county have tested positive for Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in Kenya in March.
Even as the county Covid-19 update report was made public on Saturday, it emerged the Kitui government has been hit hard by the pandemic leading to the suspension of operations in key departments and all workers asked to proceed on leave until September 7.
According to internal memo from county secretary Joshua Chepchieng dated Friday, August 21, the decision to send home the workers who operate from the main administration block and Tana Athi building that hosts the deputy governor’s office was a result of the upsurge in Covid-19 cases.
Chepchieng said that over a dozen county government officers had tested positive for the coronavirus. All the workers who tested positive were asymptomatic and more tests were carried out on Friday.
“To break a possible cycle, you are asked to inform your staff to take two weeks (14 days) off w.e.f 21st August to September 5th, 2020 and all to report on duty on September 7th,2020,” said part of the memo that was addressed to all chief officers.
The Health department report indicates that out of all persons from Kitui who have tested positive to Covid-19, nine are healthcare workers. The report said that four persons had succumbed to Covid-19.
The report indicates that the 108 positive cases were from a pool of 2,055 persons whose samples were taken for testing. It further showed that 25 persons had recovered from Covid-19 while the whereabouts of three others who tested positive remained unknown.
Out of the eight constituencies, Kitui Central has recorded the highest number of Covi-19 infections at 85, with Mwingi West recording only one case. Mwingi North and Kitui South have no recorded cases.
Edited by Henry Makori
