COVID-19 Update in Mandera County, APRIL 2021

Assalam aleikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press welcome to our county press briefing number 17 since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year. As you all aware, we are approaching the Holy Month of Ramadan in the next 11 days and we are worried people may flock the Mosques to worship in large numbers without social distancing and pose serious danger for higher infection and transmission rates. The Holy Month of Ramadan comes in the middle of the Third Wave of Covid-19 and Mandera is no exemption as we witness a steep rise of people who are testing positive for Covid-19.
We appeal to religious leaders and the entire Muslim population to be careful to ensure Covid-19 protocols are observed as experts project that the Third wave will probably flatten by mid May 2021. ALL Mosques MUST adhere to the One Third congregation rule as recommended by the guidelines of Inter Faith Council and the Presidential Public Order No.2 of 2021 on the Coronavirus Pandemic issued on 26th March 2021.
Ladies and Gentlemen, here are some the trends we have reported over the last few days.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
1. The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 48 hours is (17)
2. Cumulative number who turned positive since outbreak are one hundred and fifty three (153).
3. The total number of deaths reported since the outbreak is seventeen (17), we have recorded facility deaths and one community death. Case fatality rate is for Mandera County (11.3) percent.
4. 1st April 2021, 17 samples tested for covid19, three have turned positive. Those who tested Positive:-
Facility Number
A. Home Based Care 09
B. Home based care discharged so far 56
C. Facility Based Care (Mandera COVID-19 Isolation) 02
D. Elwak COVID-19 Isolation 0
E. Quarantine at GK prison Mandera 08
F. Deaths (since Outbreak) including community death 17
G. Total Samples tested in the last 48hrs 41
H. Number positive 14
5. The total number of samples tested since the beginning of the outbreak is one thousand five hundred and eighty eight (1588) of which 854 were tested at Nairobi lab while 734 tested at Mandera molecular lab.
6. As of today, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 according to sub-counties are – Mandera East (128), Mandera North (7), Mandera West (3), Mandera South (10), and Banisa (3) Lafey (1) Kutulo (1).
7. Contact traced since outbreak (493).
8. Out of 153 cases reported since outbreak 150 are Kenyans and 3 from neighbouring Somalia.
9. Number screened so far are 309,763 of which 211,314 at health facilities and 98,449 at entry and exit points.
10. Enforcement of public health measures such as regular hand washing hygiene, social distancing, wearing of masks in public is ongoing in all sub counties. We Continue urge all people to take personal initiative to be responsible.
11. A total of 345 schools both primary and secondary were inspected for school COVID-19 compliance before the school were closed across all sub-counties.
12. Some 234 hotels and restaurants have complied with public health standards.
13. Active Rapid Response Teams and emergency hotline numbers are operational in all sub-counties.
14. Fumigations of all infected and contaminated homes and offices of positive cases correctly done at all sub-counties including the County Treasury which was closed after a staff member tested positive.
15. We urge the elderly above 55 years of age to be brought to the hospitals for vaccination in the phase 1 priority cases.
Thank you