With a new spike in the COVID-19 positivity rate, rising oxygen demand in hospitals and a sluggish vaccination rate, Kenya could be set for hard times ahead.
Tougher measures to stem the spread of the viral disease were likely to be reinforced Friday.
However, Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe relaxed some of the containment measures.
Western Kenya and the rest of the country will now have a 10pm to 4am curfew.
This is an extension of close of business in Western Kenya from 7pm.
Kagwe said there was a likely rise of a fresh wave, and most hospitals in the city had been overstretched with Covid-19 patients.
Thursday’s positivity rate of 18 percent is the highest so far reported since the country reported its first Covid-19 case on March 12, 2020.
Kenya’s Covid-19 caseload is almost crossing the 200,000 mark, with 3,895 deaths and 187, 824 recoveries reported.
Speaking in Nairobi Thursday, Kagwe asked Kenyans to maintain the recommended safety measures because the country had not yet contained the pandemic.
“It is premature to let our guard down. We are not even out of the third wave and yet I’m hearing talk of a fourth wave,” said Mr Kagwe..
The CS said the Delta variant had proved to be a particularly stubborn challenge.
“Delta is a stubborn variant that is very infectious and difficult to treat. We are struggling to contain it in the 13 counties that were named as high risk zones,” he said.
Mr Kagwe said the numbers of patients in need of oxygen had shot up to what he termed “alarming levels”.
As he spoke, a total of 483 patients were on supplemental oxygen with 387 of them in general wards while 46 were in high dependency units (HDUs).
Another 174 patients were in the intensive care unit (ICUs).
Of these, 41 were on ventilatory support while 82 were on supplemental oxygen with 51 patients under observation.
“Previously we had the numbers of those in need of oxygen at around 100 per day.
The number is now up to 400, which means there is need to ensure that our oxygen levels at the medical facilities are sufficient to handle the increased demand,” said the CS.
Mr Kagwe is now asking county hospitals to stock up on oxygen to avoid being overwhelmed in case of increased oxygen-related admissions.
His comments came in the wake of an announcement on mixing vaccines by acting director general of health services Dr Patrick Amoth.
Addressing the media, Dr Amoth said the country had adopted the research findings from a South Korean study.
The study found out that a combination of Astra Zeneca and Pfizer doses produced the best immune response.
This was compared in a set of tests that involved study participants getting a mix of Astra Zeneca followed by Pfizer, a mix of Pfizer followed by Astra Zeneca, and a complete dose of Pfizer.
“Research shows that the Astra Zeneca-Pfizer combination resulted in the best immune response in terms of antibody production,” said Dr Amoth.
He said the country would adjust its vaccination program to correspond with the findings of the studies.
“We have adopted the study findings on mixing vaccines. If the Pfizer vaccine arrive in the country, there is nothing that will stop us from mixing the vaccines,” Dr Amoth said.
The World Health Organization is yet to give a formal nod to the mixing of Covid-19 vaccines. This, says the UN body, is because there is insufficient data to support such action.
Speaking on the WHO’s position, Dr Amoth, who is an executive vice president at the global health body, said its advisories were an integral part of the country’s health policy.
“Even though the WHO has issued an advisory on the mixing of vaccines as lacking sufficient data, member states are a liberty to run their vaccination programs,” said Dr Amoth.
He pointed out that Kenya reserved the right to carry out its vaccination program in line with local needs and settings.
“As much as we pay attention to WHO advisories, we also have the mandate to structure our vaccination program according to local context,” Dr Amoth told the press.
Meanwhile, the country’s education sector is set for a shaky start to the first term as the pandemic continue to pose a risk to teachers who are in the high risk group for new infections.
With the new term in session, only 27 percent of teachers are so far recorded as fully vaccinated.
Covid-19 Vaccine Advisory Taskforce chair Dr Willis Akhwale confirmed the dismally low numbers on July 26, 2021.
“We have fully vaccinated just 27.1 percent of the total teaching workforce in the country. We are opening schools with that low number, but it can be better,” said Dr Akhwale.
He spoke during the release of a Teachers Service Commission (TSC) report on teacher preparedness for the reopening of schools
More than 200,000 or 73 percent of tutors are yet to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as schools reopened for the first term.
At 27.1 percent, only 77,268 of the 285,122 TSC registered teachers are fully vaccinated.
The low vaccination rate has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the return of 15 million learners to school, which could lead to unprecedented congestion of most institutions .
Returnees include Grade 5 and Form One learners who had sat out for an entire term at home to avoid a calendar overlap.
A total of 633, 052 Kenyans have so far been fully vaccinated as compared to 1, 049, 847 that have received their first dose. This means there are at least 416, 795 people that are yet to receive their second dose, representing a gap of 40 percent.
Vaccine stocks are running low, with only 50, 201 doses left in stock. The numbers in store are however set for a major boost following Thursday’s announcement of a 817, 000 dose donation by the United Kingdom.
Half of the stocks will come through the COVAX facility with the UK government catering for the rest.
During his press address Friday, Kagwe asked politicians to lead by example by restraining themselves from holding massive public gatherings that make observance of Covid-19 protocols a mirage.
He also said worship places are allowed to conduct their services but with regulated numbers to meet social distancing so as to keep the virus away.
Additional Reporting by Nyang’au Araka
