Give more information on Covid-19 pandemic home care
It is now clear that the deadly coronavirus disease is going to be here with us for the long haul.
Data released by the Ministry of Health daily point to tougher days ahead.
It is now a fact that Covid-19 is spreading fast in our communities and, therefore, the number of infections is going to rise in the coming days.
From the government’s own admission, the country does not have adequate facilities to handle the soaring figures in infections and, therefore, self-isolation and home-based care are going to be the best ways of handling the scourge.
Indeed, pretty soon, every Kenyan homestead is going to have a case to deal with insofar as tackling this disease is concerned.
That calls for every family to be kept fully updated with useful information about the virus and how to minimise its impact or how to keep it at bay.
This is one area the government has not performed very well. We are asking Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and his tireless foot soldiers in the National Covid-19 Emergency Response Committee to go a step further and give detailed information on home-based care for those infected, beyond the daily tallies of infections, fatalities and recoveries.
With reports that health facilities are already feeling the burden of increased Covid-19 cases, it has become urgent for the ministry to disseminate basic information on how to detect signs of infection and how to handle the cases without exposing other members of the family.
Health professionals should also advise Kenyans on the basic medication and hygiene measures around the house to stop further spread.
Medical workers can then move into the affected homesteads and help affected families deal with the unfolding situation.
Apart from treatment, community health workers must also offer counselling support to families confronting the disease for the first time.
This is important because, thanks to the government’s own mishandling of the pandemic in the early days, coronavirus has been highly stigmatised such that both medical staff and even relatives treat affected persons with suspicion and contempt.
Above all, it is important for all to understand that anyone can get infected, regardless of age or station in life.
It must also be emphasised that the disease is largely treatable when detected in good time. That together we can win the Covid-19 fight.
