Home Tags Posts tagged with "COVID-19"
Tag:

COVID-19

The National Muslim Covid-19 Response Team has initiated procedures of handling bodies of victims who die of coronavirus, and how their funeral prayers and burial should be conducted.

Chairman of the Response Team, Prof. Muhammad Karama, said the team has also put in place a team of volunteers in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru and Bungoma to handle cases if victims who die from the virus.

“The volunteers with appropriate personal protection equipment will provide assistance in the handling of the deceased cases and ensure that the bodies of Muslims are wrapped in white sheets and placed in a biodegradable sealed body bags before being transported to the burial areas,” said Prof. Karama.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Jamia Mosque in Nairobi, Monday, attended and addressed by Imams, scholars and Muslim medical professionals, he said Muslims who die of COVID-19 will not be subjected to the ritual washing procedures in order to prevent infection and spread of the disease.

“We appeal to Muslims throughout the country to adhere to the government directive to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and to avoid the ritual of washing of bodies of victims confirmed to have died of coronavirus,” said Karama.

“In the event of a death caused by the virus, either at the hospital or at home, a team from the National Muslim Covid-19 Response Committee will be at hand to provide the necessary assistance regarding the handling of the bodies, transportation and burial procedures,” he said.

Karama also called on Muslims to report all home deaths through the toll free number 719 for government assessment before the identified teams engage in the burial procedures.

At the same time, Prof. Karama announced that a team of psychiatrists and psychologists has been put in place to provide counseling and psycho-social support to the families of the deceased.

The Chairman is also coordinating with scholars and Imams in Mombasa while the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims will play a coordinating role in ensuring that the information is cascaded to the counties.

He said the response team is sensitizing the Muslim community in the country about the coronavirus pandemic, with emphasis on adherence to all precautionary measures put in place by the government in containing and fighting Covid-19.

Karama added that various committees have been put in place to facilitate preparedness and management of the effects of the pandemic, and their role will include body handling, janazah (burial) welfare and resource mobilization, home based care, and psycho-socio support.

The Chairman also urged the government to provide special consideration to Muslims to feed the less fortunate during the forthcoming holy month of Ramadhan which is due in less than two weeks.

Prof. Karama said Muslims have already made arrangements on how the food distribution will be conducted, saying that a team of volunteers will distribute the food directly to the homes of the beneficiaries while adhering to protocols put in place by the Ministry of Health to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The National team thanked doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners who are at the frontline in trying to save the lives of those afflicted with COVID-19.

National Muslim Covid-19 Response Team was formed with the aim of complementing the efforts of the government and the Ministry of Health in addressing the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

The Team comprises of Islamic scholars, Imams and representatives from different mosques, Muslim organizations and the Kenya Association of Muslim Medical Professionals.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

Gatundu South Member of Parliament has come to the rescue of his colleagues after a controversial Standard Newspaper headline.

The Standard on Monday morning ran a headline that termed the lawmakers as traitors.

In the story, the Standard said that the lawmakers are manufacturing all manner of reasons to protect their hefty perks and avoid taking responsibility for directing government response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The newspaper accused the MPs of doing nothing to cushion people and businesses from being wiped out by COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Mombasa road based media house, the only time the lawmakers seemed to regain their voices – and in their numbers – was on Saturday to protest and defend the leadership coup in the fractious Jubilee Party.

But coming to the defense of the lawmakers, Moses Kuria claimed that the owners of the media house were paid by the state to tarnish the name of the MPs.

The controversial lawmaker argues that the first step was to ensure that the parliament doesn’t meet.

Mr Kuria claims that the second step was to bribe the media to blame the victims. He argues that a suspect budget is then brought and hide everything under COVID-19 and if MPs refuse, they will then be balmed.

“First you ensure parliament doesnt meet. Then you bribe Gideon Moi’s media to blame the victims. Then you will bring a suspect budget and hide everything under COVID and if MPs refuse you will say “See, didnt I tell you these Wakoras are traitors?” We didnt come with the Railway,” Moses Kuria posted on his social media pages.

Image
0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

Governor Wycliffe Wangamati-led Bungoma County Government is once again on the spot for procuring mattresses and sterile gloves at a cost of Ksh.10,000 a pair.

This is a move taken by the county as part of its activities to combat Covid-19 that has bow hit the Country.

The allegations of the county procuring mattresses and sterile gloves at an exaggerated price come amid claims that the county chief procured 600 20-litre jerrycans at a cost of Ksh 10,000 each.

Wangamati was early this week put on the spot by Members of County Assembly over the misappropriation of Ksh. 6 million meant to combat COVID-19 in the county.

Speaking to members of the press on Tuesday, the Bungoma County Assembly Health committee accused the County governor Wycliffe Wangamati of sabotaging the probe on the allegations.

This is after senior officials and the county referral hospital superitendant failed to appear before the committee to answer the claims.

The committee chair Mr. George Makari expressed his disappointment after the committee secretariat was ordered not to appear for the grilling further accusing the house leadership of conspiring to cover up the scandal.

MCAs Tony Khaoya, Joseph Maguda and Aggrey Mulongo said the county government was involved and further threatened to initiate an impeachment motion against governor Wycliffe Wangamati.

However, Governor Wangamati on Saturday April 11, 2020 distanced himself from allegations of mismanagement of the said funds.

Addressing members of the press at the county offices, governor Wangamati expressed his disappointment over the issue terming it as inaccurate and misleading.

He went ahead to refute the claims clarifying that the county government distributed 368 120- litre jerrycans that were donated to them by well wishers and friends of the county to a few markets in the county.

“Let it be known that we don’t have 600 Jerry cans out there,we have 368 which were donated in a few markets and other public places. Let it also be known that the Jerrycans in question are not 20 litre,they are 120 litres.

“The 600 are the markets we had earmarked to receive atleast a jerican each. I challenge anybody with evidence to contrary or to effect that any officer in my government paid 10,000 Kenya shillings for a jerrycans to bring it forward or take it to EACC,county assembly and other relevant authorities,”he said.

He further noted that the county has received more donations including an assortment of PPEs,training in kind and sanitizer and also urged friends of goodwill to come in and help.

He called upon people to unite instead of creating scandals where there is none to settle meaningless scores.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

Bungoma County Governor Wycliffe Wangamati has distanced himself from allegations of mismanagement of funds meant for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing members of the press at the county offices, governor Wangamati expressed his disappointment over the issue terming it as inaccurate and misleading.

This comes after he was accused of buying 600 20-litre jerrycans each at 10,000 Kenya shillings. The governor went ahead to refute the claims clarifying that the county government distributed 368 120- litre jerrycans that were donated to them by well wishers and friends of the county to a few markets in the county.

“Let it be known that we don’t have 600 Jerry cans out there,we have 368 which were donated in a few markets and other public places. Let it also be known that the Jerrycans in question are not 20 litre,they are 120 litres.

“The 600 are the markets we had earmarked to receive atleast a jerican each. I challenge anybody with evidence to contrary or to effect that any officer in my government paid 10,000 Kenya shillings for a jerrycans to bring it forward or take it to EACC,county assembly and other relevant authorities,”he said.

He further noted that the county has received more donations including an assortment of PPEs,training in kind and sanitizer and also urged friends of goodwill to come in and help.

He called upon people to unite instead of creating scandals where there is none to settle meaningless scores.

“It behooves upon all of us leaders and the people we serve to shelve our narrow interests and keep our eyes on the ball and that’s fighting Corona virus in the county. To the people of Bungoma, treat any information contrary to this as rumours, gossip and ill-will,”he said

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

The public has been warned against waging violent acts on people suspected to be having Covid-19 or those that have travelled from places that have the pandemic.

The warning was sounded by Lamu Governor Fahim Yassin Twaha in light of suspected stigmatisation of Covid-19 cases within the past two months.

He made these remarks earlier today during a press briefing in the county’s Mokowe headquarters over the status update on the county’s preparedness with regards to managing and preventing the spread of Covid-19 within the county.

He revealed that although some two patients had exhibited presumed coronavirus symptoms while being admitted at the Mpeketoni Sub County District Hospital, it was too early to tell whether they were a risk to the community.

“Presumptions have led to rumours of a possible Covid-19 outbreak which is not the case and residents should be careful not to fall under the trap of stigmatising those seeking treatment for similar symptoms, which could just be TB or pneumonia,” Twaha stated.

Flanked by Lamu County Commissioner Macharia Irungu and the Covid-19 Management Committee, the governor further revealed that the samples of the two patients had been taken and dispatched to KEMRI Laboratories with results expected within 24 hours.

“The two patients have already been isolated and contact tracing is already underway to know their travel history,” the governor said.

He advised the public to call the hotline numbers that the county public health had provided to enable trained public health officials handle such suspects instead of people taking the law into their hands.

Twaha also stated that it was very important for people to understand that anyone could get infected and urged residents to adhere to Ministry of Health preventive guidelines.

No Covid-19 case has been reported in Lamu since the outbreak of the global pandemic within the country last month. However, Twaha reiterated that the county government’s health facilities have designated isolation facilities that would help in case of an outbreak in the area.

The governor was optimistic that the measures put in place by the county government were sufficient to tackle the spread of the virus should it arise.

He also commended the Lamu County Assembly for reallocating Sh50 million from their internal budget to aid the county manage the crisis.

The county government has so far set aside Sh10 million as an emergency fund for the county.

“The county is in talks with suppliers to bring in as many ventilators as possible in case of an outbreak, and we will also embark on a massive sanitizer distribution programme to keep the virus at bay.

“We are also organising how relief aid will be distributed to vulnerable families across the county in the wake of reduced revenue streams in more than 60 percent of households within the county,” he added.

He further said that TVETs in Lamu were so far engaged in making as many as 4,000 masks which would be distributed for free across the county as they were now too expensive to buy from any supplier.

These sentiments echoed by CC Irungu who urged well-wishers to coordinate with the Covid-19 county management team to distribute relief items rather than embark on solitary missions.

“We will not entertain individuals distributing relief items outside the designated programme in a bid to win political points. We urge that all relief should be steered towards this committee which will then channel it to the public,” Macharia said.

He also urged members of the public to adhere to the curfew regulations to avoid run-ins with law enforcement agencies whom he said were only keen to ensure the safety of Kenyans within the MOH regulations provided.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

A two year-old has tested positive for coronavirus in Kenya.

Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi on Saturday afternoon confirmed to more new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of the cases in the country to 191.

One of the new cases is from Mombasa and another one is from Nairobi, one of which is aged two years.

Dr Mwangangi noted that none of the cases has a recent history of travel.

“Out of 491 tested samples, 2 have tested positive for coronavirus bringing confirmed cases in the country to 191. None of them has a recent history of travel. One of the patients is 2 years old & the other 32 years’ old,” Dr Mwangangi said.

Both cases were picked by the surveillance team. However, two more people have recovered bringing the total number of recoveries to 24.

Kenya has so far recorded 7 deaths as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and avoiding close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with people who are unwell.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

Tension gripped Masalani town, Ijara Sub County following the arrival of a man from Covid-19 hotspot, Kilifi County exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus.

The man, who arrived in the area two days ago feverish and with high temperatures, was immediately taken to Masalani Sub County Hospital for isolation.

Contacted for comment, Ijara sub county medical of health Dr. Abdinasir Abdi Mohammed confirmed the patient is in a quarantine unit at Masalani sub county hospital.

He said the suspect’s blood sample was taken to Nairobi for analysis and returned a negative result but he would be under quarantine for 14 days.

Dr Mohamed called on residents to follow government prevention procedures including putting on face masks and keeping social distance.

He cautioned social media bloggers and users against posting sensitive messages with no basis or reference.

He commended Ijara Deputy County Commissioner Mr. Samson Towett and his Covid-19 pandemic committee and disaster preparedness committee for the measures they have put in place towards combating the corona pandemic.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

Article Written by Macharia Ngatia, CEO Agency 254, Tech Firm

Has COVID-19 Hit you?

As a tech firm, yes, we are struggling just like any other business, however we were not hardly hit as we had all the necessary technology in place, it was just a matter of stretching our working habit. That’s where we struggled most achieving but now, we could say we are relatively okay. 

I feel like grand ideas of the “gig economy” and work/life balance are about to be tested like never before. Will people be able to work as flexibly as surveys suggest? A Research survey for our team revealed that 65% of Agency 254 workers claimed they would be more productive if they were able to work remotely or from home. Will they say the same when this crisis is over?

There is an opportunity to use technology to change our habits and how society operates, and we should take it. The present reality is that we have too much of garbage in, garbage out economy. At both individual and societal level, our use of technology is less intelligent than it should be, while at the same time our expectations of what we think technology can do outstrip its capabilities.

How do you think technology can help businesses survive at these times?  

It’s wise for all businesses to come up with functionalities on their websites like portals or ERP systems where employees can be managed without the necessity of personal touch. 

Businesses can also register G-suits. Other than efficiency in business communications, G-suit comes up with google sheets, google docs, google forms, google hangouts whereby you can have team conferencing and collaboration. Some other companies are using skype and zoom for conferencing. Use Telegram to share large files.

What advice do you have to businesses today?

Covid-19 has come up as a wakeup call for businesses to realize the beauty of artificial intelligence. Some meetings can be emails. People should invest in permanent real-time technology. Working from home should not be because we have pandemics, it should be because it’s good and efficient to do the thing.

Today, customers are more concerned with efficiency than anything else in their business operations. Customer-based functionalities like interactive website with all the necessary information, live chat whereby customers can ask questions directly on your website and get instant answers will help businesses, especially at this time. 

Even as many industries contract, there’s still a pressing need for technology that can do everything from keep cloud infrastructure running to designing e-commerce portals.

Millions of employees working from home will mean that systems engineers, business analysts, and product managers must recalibrate companies’ operations to deal with new, widely dispersed teams and networks. Technology is more vital than ever as the world (and the global economy) wrestles with this crisis

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail

Kenya has received a Ksh 5.5 billion support from World Bank.

The World Bank Group board of directors have approved the funds in immediate funding to support Kenya’s response to the global COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

This is under a new operation – the Kenya COVID -19 Emergency Response Project.

The project will provide emergency funding for medical diagnostic services, surveillance and response, capacity building, quarantine, isolation and treatment centres.

The funds will also go into medical waste disposal, risk communications and community engagement as well as for strengthening of the country’s capacity to provide safe blood services.

“This new fast track facility will assist Kenya in its efforts to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and strengthen national systems for public health preparedness,” Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank Country Director for Kenya said.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrWhatsappTelegramEmail