Kilifi raises alarm over unrecorded Covid-19 deaths
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi (right) and County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka address a press briefing after holding a Covid-19 Emergency Response Committee meeting in Kilifi.
A majority of suspected Covid-19 deaths happening at homes in Kilifi County are not being recorded.
Some of the dead are taken for preservation in mortuaries while others are buried immediately.
Speaking in Rabai sub-county, Health executive Charles Dadu said the county will be compelled to test all family members when a suspected Covid-19 death occurs.
“The data for Covid-19 patients and deaths being announced are for those cases reported in our health facilities,” he said.
“Many suspected Covid-19 deaths happening in the community are not being captured. We will now be forced to test the whole family in case of any suspected case.”
This, he said, will help prevent the spread of the virus in families.
Some grieving families seek to beat the 48-hour deadline set by the county government to bury their dead, one of the measures intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Mr Dadu said Kilifi had recorded an increase of 40 per cent in the Covid-19 infections in the past two months.
Some 2,171 cases have been recorded in the past two and a half months.
“This rate of infection is high and we find that people aged from 25 to 59 are contributing to the spread of the virus and they are the ones that are being depended on in the society. We are losing an important generation,” he said.
As of Saturday, Kilifi had reported 91 deaths, he said.
The Governor Amason Kingi led county has tested 32,952 people, out of which 5,428 were positive.
Some 42 patients were in isolation - 11 at Kilifi County Referral Hospital and 31 at Mitangani prison in Malindi.
Some 128 patients were in homecare isolation.
Mr Dadu warned that the Delta variant is on the rise in Kilifi and that the county was leading the coastal region in infections.
“The Delta variant is now leading in Kilifi, higher than even Mombasa County. It is not sparing anyone. A majority of those that were affected have died,” he said.
He appealed to the public to get vaccinated for Covid-19.
“Our positivity rate is between 19 percent and 22 per cent. We should ignore the myth about the Covid-19 vaccine that has led to the fear of the unknown and protect ourselves,” he said.
“It is now four months since we started vaccinating the public. We have been monitoring them very closely and there is no incident where a person has been reported to have succumbed to the vaccine.”
He said a total of 13,269 people had been vaccinated – 3,209 healthcare workers, 1,781 teachers, 632 security personnel, 3,591 senior citizens and 4,056 others.
