Kagwe tells counties to carry own virus burden

Covid-19 patients from regions outside Nairobi will not be airlifted for treatment to hospitals in the capital city, warned Health Secretary Mutahi Kagwe Tuesday as he announced 183 new Covid-19 cases.

He told Kenyans to pile pressure on counties to expand their healthcare capacity.

“There will be no airlifting of people from other counties to Nairobi since it will not have the capacity. Where we are heading is so unpredictable,” said Mr Kagwe.

He warned that the trend indicated that Covid-19 numbers would continue to rise and there was a need for adequate capacity to handle the growing numbers. Covid-19 cases in Kenya hit 8,250 yesterday.

His remarks follow the lifting of the cessation of movement into and out of Kenya’s Covid-19 hotspots like Mombasa and Nairobi and the resumption of domestic air travel, setting the stage for accelerated community spread.