Alarm in Nyeri after 104 students from one school test positive for COVID-19
Nyeri County governor Mutahi Kahiga has raised alarm after the county recorded 32 Covid- 19 related deaths in the past two months even as the weekly positivity rate gets to a high of 35%.
According to governor Kahiga, there has been an upsurge in Covid - 19 infections in the county which is straining health facilities.
So far Nyeri county has recorded 2592 cases and 152 deaths. Currently, 61 patients are admitted at hospitals across the county with 38 of them relying on supplementary oxygen for breathing.
According to Kahiga, Ngorano Secondary School had a positivity rate of 88%.
Health Services Director Nelson Muriu said that out of 118 students who took tests, 104 were positive. 87 were borders and 17 learners were day scholars whereby some were isolated in the school and the rest were placed under home-based care.
"Most of the students showed mild symptoms, while others were asymptomatic. The good thing is that young people are not much affected by the disease," Muriu said.
He added that the county has sent samples to Kisumu to identify the dominant variant in the county saying that they suspected the delta variant but results will be out by end of the week.
According to the governor, 10,000 people have not received the second dose of the Covid -19 vaccine with the County Commissioner Loyford Kibaara who co chairs the Covid -19 response committee in the county ordering that the doses be used to vaccinate anyone who wishes to receive the first dose.
"We are urging all those who took the first Covid-19 vaccine jab but did not take the second dose to do so, those in hospitals and have taken both doses and are not much affected as those who have not been vaccinated," Kahiga noted.
To mitigate the rising numbers the county has suspended all public gatherings for the next 30 days and burials should be held within 72 hours and there will be no viewing of the bodies.
Othaya Level Four hospital has also been designated as an infectious disease unit with a bed capacity of 50 beds.
The county has 170 beds at the Karatina Hospital with piped oxygen, is currently piping 154 beds Mukurweini Hospital and 37 beds in Mt. Kenya which is already at full capacity.
