Hospitals in Nairobi have started increasing their ICU beds in readiness for a likely surge in cases of Covid-19 hospitalisations.
Nairobi among counties mapped by the government as hotspots as its new infections continue to rise steadily.
Some of the hospitals that have started expanding ICU capacities include the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital, The Nairobi Hospital and the Kenyatta National Hospital.
They seek to add 28, 20 and 20 ICU beds respectively.
“Today the Nairobi hospitals are stretched to the limit and the truth of the matter is that if you fall sick today within this county, you are very unlikely to get a hospital bed,” Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said.
“The truth of the matter is that unless we can contain it at this level, unless we can stop the transmission right now then it is possible that our health system is going to be overwhelmed and then we will have scenes like the ones you saw in other countries where a person dies right in front of a hospital and there is nothing that the doctors can do,” he added.
Nairobi has been leading in the number of new infections in recent weeks, on some days accounting for almost half of the daily infections.
For instance, Nairobi recorded 394 new cases from the total 550 cases reported on Monday, which is more than 50 per cent of the daily infections.
On Tuesday, the capital recorded 460 out of the 976 cases and 391 of the 1,006 cases recorded on Wednesday. There were 489 cases in Nairobi out of the 1,068 recorded on Thursday while the city had 416 of 945 reported on Friday. On Saturday, Nairobi had 417 of the 1,259 cases reported by the Ministry of Health.
The rising numbers have been attributed to laxity among residents in adhering to the containment measures.
Officials also said increased infections were due to the Delta variant that spreads very fast.
“It is unfortunate that Nairobi which is our capital city continues to record the highest numbers of those contracting the virus. This is a clear indication that the city residents and many other counties are flagrantly flouting the containment measures,” Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said.
Edited by P.O
