Confronting the threat of COVID-19 in Kenya
Public health advisory from the Kenyan Ministry of Health.
The coronavirus pandemic presents AMPATH and our partners with daunting challenges. Together, the Kenyan government, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and AMPATH partners are responding to COVID-19.
We've worked with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and MTRH task force to set up isolation units, establish laboratory services, train hundreds of professionals and procure personal protective equipment for health care workers. Vaccinations of healthcare workers began in March 2021. But more work is needed to overcome this pandemic.
AMPATH NEWS ON COVID-19
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Current COVID-19 Research Guidance (Updated August 2, 2021)
On Friday, July 30, 2021, Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe gave a briefing on the status of COVID-19 in Kenya. In his address, CS Kagwe noted a sharp increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 countrywide. Although cases in the hotspots Counties in Nyanza and the Western Region had decreased, numbers in other parts of the country are increasing. The observed increase is consistent with projections of increased spread of COVID-19 in the months of July and August associated with the more transmissible Delta variant. From CS Kagwe’s briefing, the National Emergency and Response Committee on Coronavirus (NERCC) offered support for the Presidential directives.
To ensure adherence to Presidential directives and resolutions released by the NERCC, and to ensure the safety of AMPATH research staff and participants, the AMPATH Research Program is requesting that all AMPATH investigators and research teams continue to strictly adhere to the minimum requirements described the Return to Work Policy for AMPATH Research Program Staff and the AMPATH Research Program – COVID-19 Restart Checklist.
COVID-19 Update
342,608
confirmed cases in Kenya
5,688
confirmed deaths
37%
proportion of adults fully vaccinated
Source: Kenya Ministry of Health as of 9 Jan 2023.
AMPATH COVID-19 Emergency Relief
AMPATH developed this plan to more broadly address COVID-19 in western Kenya while continuing to support existing care programs. The plan is grounded in the needs communicated by county Ministry of Health partners, the government of Kenya, and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. Each county will lead its COVID-19 strategy, adapting and improving as the pandemic evolves. AMPATH will provide technical expertise, equipment, and support for those most affected.
Prevent: We will protect healthcare providers, community health workers, laboratory technicians and our community by facilitating improved access to PPE supplies including masks, face shields, gowns, hand sanitizer/hand soap and gloves for use for COVID-19 community and facility-based activities. In anticipation of global shortages and rising costs of PPE stock, we will support safe methods of PPE reuse (e.g. sterilization with hydrogen peroxide vapor, UV-germicidal irradiation, bleach wipes) and methods of local production. These methods for sterilization or local production will be incorporated into the PPE procurement plan once deemed safe, effective and feasible.
Promote: We will improve access to COVID-19 testing and quality of care for hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients.
Support: We will support a robust community response that focuses on COVID-19 prevention and surveillance and on economic empowerment and social support for the poorest individuals in communities most affected.
Maintain: We will ensure the maintenance of essential primary care health services using innovative delivery strategies that reduce risk for COVID-19 exposure. We will use a phone-based education platform to deliver relevant content, support home drug delivery services for chronic disease care (as appropriate within each phase of the pandemic), reduced cost chronic disease pharmaceuticals for those qualifying, and implement safe strategies for maternal delivery and childhood immunization services.
