Tues 9th August 2022, Election Day
The global health agency statement now corroborates what various Health ministry officials have told the Nation in confidence that “the numbers the country has witnessed in August may not be the true reflection of what is happening in the country”.The ministry officials have since been gagged from speaking to the media.On Monday, WHO Kenya office cautioned against interpretation that this decline in reported numbers constitutes a “true decline in the spread of the disease”.“As further and more widespread laboratory testing and contact tracing takes place, and as further data becomes available on hospital admissions and deaths, the declining number may hopefully be confirmed,” the agency said in a statement. Last week, the Nation reported on how the National Influenza Lab and the Kenyatta National Hospital have a backlog of unprocessed samples due to shortage of the automated kits, like the reagents for Roche. “We are not yet flattening the curve. There are challenges with testing and the reagent issues, which will be sorted out. Kemri will then get back to testing more samples,” Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi said last Wednesday.