Home of Kenya's COVID-19 patient disinfected

The coronavirus response team was on Saturday sent to carry out a disinfection exercise at Ongata Rongai, the residence of the first confirmed case of the virus. 

The fumigation exercise is part of precautionary measures by the national and county government to avert spread of the virus with the Ministry of Health pitching a camp in Kajiado county since the first incident was recorded on Friday.

The county leadership was locked in a crisis meeting led by Governor Joseph Lenku and subsequent county officials and health officials. 

The meeting is expected to give further directions on combating the spread of the virus spread in the county. 

Uncertainty still surrounds the people that might have been in direct or passive contact with the victim who had been in the country since March 5. 

However, the ministry says it has managed to retrace all people the victim was in contact with and recommended isolation. 

Disinfection of the building where the woman detected to be COVID-19 positive hailed from was expected to be done later in the day. 

On Friday, a rapid response team was sent to Ongata Rongai to retrace the steps of the first patient announced by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.

Reports indicate that the patient who arrived from the US on March 5 spent some time in Ongata Rongai before she was hospitalised.

Her identity has, however, not been revealed. An emergency health meeting has been convened at Ole Kasasi Health Centre. 

Health stakeholders and leaders are expected to meet and chart the way forward in order to contain the situation. 

At the time of publishing, area MP Joseph Manje was to issue a press statement in this regard.

Ongata Rongai town thrives as a residential, commercial and educational hub housing people from all walks of life. 

Its proximity to a handful of institutions has arguably been a big contributing factor to its growth. 

Multimedia University of Kenya, Cooperative University, Catholic University of East Africa, Kenya School of Law, Africa Nazarene University are some of the major institutions within the town.

So too, its proximity to Nairobi county is credited for its rapid urban expansion.

Already, the African Nazarene University has suspended all academic activities and asked students to leave the institution by March 14. 

Since the reports of Kenya’s first case, Ethiopia, Namibia and Rwanda have confirmed cases of COVID-19. 

Edited by R.Wamochie