Covid-19 continues to wreak havoc in schools even as the government maintains it will not shut them down. Yesterday, more than 60 learners were reported to have contracted the virus in various schools across the country.
At Kolanya Salvation Army Boys High School in Teso North Sub-county in Busia County, at least 60 infections have been confirmed.
Those infected are 52 Form Four students, six teachers and two support staff. Busia governor Sospeter Ojaamong announced that the cases were confirmed from 100 samples that were randomly picked by public health teams for testing at the school.
“Medical staff have been deployed to manage the situation,” the governor told the media yesterday.
Busia is among five leading counties in Covid-19 infections. The county has been testing samples at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) lab at Alupe, the Busia County Referral Hospital and the Kemri CDC lab in Kisumu.
County chief officer for Health Dr Isaac Omeri said they are closely monitoring the condition of the learners and have put them on treatment. In Nairobi, six students and three members of staff have tested positive at Jamhuri High School. They are self-isolating at home after the test results last week.
Following the cases, all students and staff were tested on Monday and their results are expected today.
“We haven’t had other reports of Covid-19 in Nairobi. We’re lucky because at first we thought it might be much worse,” he said.
In Kiambu County, 11 teachers at Mama Ngina Primary School in Kinoo, which has since lost a teacher, have tested positive. Two students at Loreto Limuru Girls’ School have also been infected and 24 contacts who were traced and tested are awaiting results.
“So far, two schools have been affected but none has been closed,” county health executive Joseph Murega told Nation.
Yesterday, governor James Nyoro said the high numbers recorded are as a result of intensive mass testing.
The county has entered into a partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) that tests 100 samples daily, with results coming out within 24 hours.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has in the past insisted that schools will not be closed due to the cases of infections reported. He said these will be managed on a case-by-case basis.
Tononoka Secondary School and The Star of the Sea Secondary School, both in Mombasa County, were closed two weeks ago after cases of Covid-19 were reported in the schools. The principal of Tononoka School died the following week from Covid-19-related complications.
Reporting by Benson Amadala, Shaban Makokha and Simon Ciuri
