KENYA ICUS MAY FILL UP AS CORONAVIRUS CASES SOAR

Medical doctors transfer a coronavirus patient to another ward at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.

Kenya continues to battle with COVID-19 pandemic, 497 new cases were confirmed yesterday threatening Intensive care units capacity.

The Kenyan ministry expressed fears that if the numbers of those requiring ICU care shoot up, hospitals will run out of space.

Health Director-General Patrick Amoth says, “If the numbers of those in need of critical care go up, we will not be able to have the adequate numbers of the healthcare worker to offer this service.” 

Health Director-General Patrick Amoth advising Kenyans to follow the health guidelines to fight coronavirus

Dr Amoth’s concern over fast-filling ICU came as studies revealed patients who recover after intensive care may have to deal with long-term disabilities such as muscle wasting, organ and brain damage.

A data from the Kenyan health ministry shows 497 new confirmed cases, 78 of the 225 coronavirus patients who had been admitted to ICU died, with five succumbing yesterday.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe expressed his concern over the high number of those testing positive in Nairobi, which accounts for more than half of all the cases at 5,705. Mombasa (1,739), Busia (550) and Kiambu (520) also recorded spikes in infections.

Experts have also warned of Covid-19 patients who spend time in the ICU are prone to physical, cognitive and even mental health problems after discharge.

COVID-19 patients being treated in an ICU centre in China.

Kenya as of May 10 was the fourth most impacted country in the East / Horn of Africa region only behind Djibouti, Sudan and Somalia.

In Africa, a total of 613,697 total cases and 13,500 total deaths have been confirmed. 305,074 have since recovered from the disease.

Kenya’s caseload now stands at 10,791 confirmed cases, 3,017 recoveries with 202 deaths.