• The leading comorbid risk factors continue to be diabetes and hypertension.
• The ministry has taken the lead on both local and international collaborative Covid-19 research.
Image: MAGDALINE SAYA
The government is developing a study protocol that will allow health experts in the country to look into the use of plasma in the treatment of Covid-19.
Under this study, experts will be exploring the possibility of taking the blood of someone who has recovered from Covid-19 and trying to use it as medicine for those who have moderate condition.
This comes even as the Health ministry announced that 19 more patients had succumbed to the virus on Wednesday. Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said one of the patients died at home and the other 18, including a 28-year-old, at health facilities with preexisting medical conditions.
The leading comorbid risk factors continue to be diabetes and hypertension. The number of fatalities in the country now stands at 506.
“We continue to epidemiological research to be able to understand the patterns of this disease, how it spreads, we have a robust team that has been conducting epidemiological modeling and continues to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to inform us,” the CAS said.
The ministry, through Kemri and Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative Institute of Clinical Research, has taken the lead on local and international collaborative Covid-19 research.
Mwangangi said the ministry has been following up on all affected and exposed persons in the country and developing a knowledge base that has enabled development of a robust Covid-19 testing strategy, management protocols and pandemic containment measures.
Thematic areas of research include health system research modeling on health system capacity, costing and cost-effectiveness and the health and social-economic impact of the virus in the country.
“Funding for priority research has been mobilised locally through the National Research Fund which has put out several opportunities for Covid-19 research proposals funding and internationally through Kenya’s bilateral and multilateral development partners,” she said.
“The ministry commends the many gallant scientists working day and night in our medical research institutions contributing immensely in bringing out new knowledge to the forefront of this pandemic.”
Data from Wednesday's briefing show that the number of cases in the country now stands at 31,015 after 379 more cases were confirmed.
The new cases were from 3,867 samples tested in a day. The total number of tests conducted since the first case is now 402,452. The new cases are aged between one and 87 years, comprising 223 males and 157 females.
On a positive note, 244 people recovered from the virus, 168 from home-based care while 76 were discharged from hospitals. This brings the total number of recoveries to 117,612.
Nairobi continues to lead in the number of new infection after recording 219 cases on Wednesday, followed by Kiambu with 40, Uasin Gishu 28, Kajiado 14, Machakos 13, Kisumu 10, Mombasa seven, Kericho six, while Bomet and Baringo had five each.
Nandi and Nyeri had four cases each, Isiolo and Narok three each, Busia, Garissa, Homa Bay and Kilifi had two cases each while Kirinyaga, Kisii, Laikipia, Makueni, Nyamira, Taita Taveta and Trans Nzoia each had one case of infection.
The CAS noted that the Kenya Medical Research Institute will next week be receiving more reagents to help mitigate an existing shortage. The number of samples tested in the past few weeks has been on a decline as a result.
Edited by R.Wamochie