CoG: Drop in Covid positivity rate due to lack of testing kits
Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, who is also the CoG Health Committee chairman. In a statement on April 21, 2021 signed by Prof Nyong'o, governors raised concerns over the shortage of Covid-19 testing kits in counties.
The Council of Governors (CoG) has raised concerns over the shortage of Covid-19 testing kits in counties.
According to a statement released by the CoG on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health’s reported decrease in the country’s Covid-19 positivity rate is as a result of fewer samples being tested.
“Today, the positivity rate as reported by the Ministry of Health in the Daily Situational Report is at 9.6 per cent from a sample size of 2,515 individuals tested. We, however, note that the decrease of the positivity rate is as a result of lack of testing kits in the country,” read the statement.
This, according to CoG, poses a major challenge as the virus is spreading rapidly and could overstretch the counties’ health facilities.
The statement added that given the current shortage of testing kits, county governments have no control over the increasing number of infections.
The governors have asked the Ministry of Health to provide counties with rapid testing kits (antigens) and PCR Covid-19 testing equipment to stem the spread of the virus.
“We have engaged the Ministry of Health to [provide] testing kits to the counties to ensure proper documentation of the magnitude of the disease within the communities and proper reporting of the factual situation which will then lead to proper response measures,” read the statement signed by Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, who is the CoG Health Committee chairman.
Positivity rate
Since Sunday, the Health ministry has been reporting a positivity rate of below 10.8 per cent.
On Sunday 366 people tested positive for Covid-19 from a sample size of 3,664 with a positivity rate of 10.0 per cent.
On Monday the sample size tested dropped to 2,515 with 241 new cases recorded, as the positivity rate dropped to 9.6 per cent.
On Tuesday, Kenya’s Covid-19 positivity rate rose to 10.8 per cent after the Health ministry reported 629 new infections from a sample of 5,832 tested in 24 hours.
On March 26 when President Uhuru Kenyatta announced cessation of movement in the disease infected counties of Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kajiado and Machakos, the country’s positivity rate was at 17.7 per cent.
The Ministry of Health had announced that 2,008 people tested positive for Covid-19 from a sample size of 11,360.
