Mutahi Kagwe (C), cabinet secretary for health, speaks during a press conference in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, March 13, 2020. Kenya's Health Ministry announced on Friday the country's first case of COVID-19, making it the 15th African nation to report an infection. (Xinhua/Fred Mutune)
NAIROBI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The announcement of the first COVID-19 case in Kenya on Friday ignited measured anxiety while shining a spotlight on the capacity of the country's public health infrastructure to respond to the viral disease.
Kenya became the first country in East Africa to confirm a COVOD-19 case that was detected from a 27-year-old female citizen who traveled back to the country from the United States on March 5.
Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary for health, said the patient was confirmed positive to the viral disease at the National Influenza Laboratory Center on Thursday night.
According to Kagwe, the patient had visited the main referral hospital where she sought treatment for symptoms that mimic COVID-19 and was placed in an isolation ward after testing positive to the disease.
"The patient is clinically stable, has normal temperatures but will not be released until she turns negative," Kagwe said during the announcement of the first COVID-19 case in Kenya.
He said the government will intensify contact tracing of persons the patient had interacted with and encourage them to self-quarantine in order to contain further infections.
Kagwe said the entire state machinery had been mobilized to strengthen the response to the first case of COVID-19 that will be a litmus test on Kenya's ability to withstand jitters linked to a global public health emergency.
"The government will continue to strengthen measures to halt further spread of the disease in the country," said Kagwe adding that an emergency team has already reactivated coronavirus mitigation strategies in the wake of a new case.
He announced radical measures to contain the highly contagious disease that includes a ban on public gatherings, prison visits, inter-school sporting activities and restricted travel overseas for civil servants and citizens.
Kagwe said that investors in the public transport sector will be involved in the promotion of respiratory hygiene targeting commuters and urged individuals with symptoms linked to COVID-19 to self-quarantine and seek medical assistance.
"We are urging members of the public to maintain proper respiratory hygiene, avoid crowded places and report promptly to nearby health facilities if they experience fever, headache and dry coughing," said Kagwe.
He said the government will take legal action against individuals who peddle falsehoods and rumors about COVID-19 through social media platforms.
The Kenyan government swung into action immediately the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the country in order to reassure the jittery public and financial markets.
President Uhuru Kenyatta held an emergency meeting with the National Security Council to discuss effective measures that should be rolled out to contain public anxiety linked to the epidemic that is gradually spreading in the Sub-Saharan African region.
During the meeting, Kenyatta announced that additional medical personnel will be recruited to enhance surveillance and management of detected cases.
"Government officials at all levels will be tasked with ensuring that mitigation measures like public awareness on hygiene and discouragement of mass gatherings and meetings are observed," Kenyatta said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Kenya has been ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) among the seven African countries at risk of COVID-19 given its status as a regional trading and transportation hub.
The East African Nation on March 6 launched an isolation and treatment center for the viral disease that has already affected strategic sectors of the economy like tourism, manufacturing and financial services.
Experts said the announcement of the first case of COVID-19 will test the resilience of Kenya's economy and public health infrastructure.
"The economy will definitely experience some bumps as the country deal with aftershocks of COVID-19 that include reduced spending and travel," said Eliud Muriithi, a Nairobi based financial expert.
He said that visionary leadership combined with enhanced surveillance, diagnosis and treatment of the disease is key to calm jitters among citizens and investors.
