16 family members quarantined after remains of their diabetic kin tested positive for COVID-19

16 family members have been sent into quarantine after coming into contact with their kin who died on Tuesday.

The 55-year-old patient Ernest Kosgei was admitted to the Longisa County Referral Hospital on May 4 having travelled to Nairobi to seek treatment for diabetes.

The patient however succumbed the following day at around 1pm.

According to reports, samples taken from his body and taken to the KEMRI lab in Kisumu turned positive for COVID-19.

On Wednesday, officials from the ministry of health embarked on contact tracing and placed 16 family members under mandatory quarantine at the Kaplong Girls High School.

One person who reportedly travelled with the deceased on the day that he was admitted is yet to be traced.

The latest comes a day after the Ministry of Health Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth said Kenyan hospitals will soon be required to test all admitted patients and those slated for admission for the novel coronavirus.

Speaking on Monday from Afya House, Ministry of Health Director General Dr.Patrick Amoth said the move will protect the frontline health workers and those admitted in wards from the pandemic.

“It is likely that when an asymptomatic case is admitted to hospital, they may spread the virus to the healthcare workers or other patients in the ward, we need to be able to protect those people,” Dr Amoth said.

Upon the review of the guidelines by MoH’s case management team, all Kenyans seeking medical services from various hospitals will be required to undergo mandatory testing before their admission.

“Before you are admitted to hospital, one of the tests that you will have to undergo will be a Covid-19 test, this will protect frontline health workers and other patients whose immune system may be compromised,” Dr Amoth added.

At the same time, Dr Amoth noted that the Ministry of Health was working on a step-wise distribution of coronavirus tests kits to ensure that no Kenyan would miss out on treatment because they had not tested for the coronavirus.