Gov’t to Launch Mass Covid-19 Testing for All Kenyan Health Workers

All Kenyan health workers are set to undergo testing for coronavirus to ensure they are safe while handling patients at their workplaces, the Health Ministry has said.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the mass testing of all health workers, including those working in private hospitals, will commence immediately.

“All health workers and medical staff including those in private hospitals, rapid response teams and all staff in all facilities holding quarantined persons must commence testing with immediate effect,” said Kagwe.

“We must ensure that we do not have medical staff who are treating people while they themselves have the virus and therefore passing the virus to citizens.”

Further to this, medics handling Covid-19 patients and persons who are in quarantine will be provided with accommodation to reduce the risk of spreading the virus to family members and the public.

“We have identified suitable accommodation for the health care workers and a team under Kenya Medical Practitioners Dentists Council chaired by Dr. Eva Njenga are working extra hard to get us extra facilities so that healthcare workers who get into contact with these cases don’t go home but to a specific place, therefore, prevent close contamination with members of the family and public as they move home,” said Health Director-General Dr. Patrick Amoth.

On Tuesday, Kenya confirmed 14 additional cases of the virus, raising the total number of infections to 172. Seven patients have since recovered from the infection while six have lost their lives.