Ministry to send team to Mombasa for contact tracing

The Health Ministry will this week dispatch a team to Mombasa to reinforce contact tracing in the county.

Mombasa is on the ministry’s radar as a Covid-19 hotspot as it has witnessed a tremendous rise in cases despite measures put in place such as restricted movement.

Nairobi and Mombasa account for 90 per cent of the Covid-19 cases recorded in the country.

The county has become a concern for the national emergency response team as the wave of infections shows that the county has established local transmission.

Mvita, Nyali and Kisauni have been worst hit, with the government commencing targeted mass testing on Friday in Mvita and Kawangware in Nairobi.

“Our main challenge has been the supply of sample collection kits that are used to pick the specimen from the throat and the nose,” Health director general Patrick Amoth said.

“I am happy to inform the country that on Wednesday we received 4,000 sample collection kits. On Thursday, we received an additional 11,000. We commence mass testing in Nairobi's Kawangware and in Mombasa, Mvita.”

Amoth said that mandatory quarantine had been a blessing to the country as it had helped trace individuals that would otherwise have gone to the community and spread the virus.

The problem in Mombasa has been blamed on the failure of residents to adhere to measures put in place by the ministry.

 For instance, there are individuals who still defy the social distancing rules at the Likoni channel, some being forced to queue.

The neighbouring Kilifi has also been affected by the pandemic and was placed under partial lockdown together with Kwale, Mandera and Nairobi.

Edited by Henry Makori