The government has today launched the second phase of COVID 19 sensitization campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the new developments of the virus mutation.
Health Ministry last month confirmed that it had recorded five cases of the Indian COVID-19 variant in the East African country, and as such the exercise flagged today will create more awareness on the need to remain vigilant in the wake of the new mutations.
State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Esther Koimett who flagged off the exercise reiterated the need for the public to adhere to the government containment measures so as to stem the spread of the disease.
The PS called on all Kenyans not to lower their guard but continue to wear their masks, keep the recommended 1.5 meters’ physical distance when in public places, keep washing the hands regularly with soap and running water, and avoid crowded areas.
“This campaign, therefore, aims to sensitize our people on the importance of strictly observing the containment protocols in order to protect themselves and their loved ones,” said the PS.
The PS noted that that the sensitization exercise will encourage the public to embrace the jab and go for the COVID 19 vaccination exercise at their respective counties.
“COVID 19 is real, and as the country fights the third wave, we must come together as a society to keep this so as to avoid a fourth wave,” she stated.
She urged the teams involved in the sensitization campaign to ensure that the messages are well communicated for better understanding by all communities and where possible, to use local community languages.
The campaign starts today June 21, 2021 and will end on June 27, 2021 across the counties, running from 8.00am, to 4.30pm.
County Information Officers are in collaboration with Regional and National Government Administrative officers (NGAOS), spearheading the campaigns in their respective regions.
A similar community awareness campaign on the pandemic was carried out in May 2020 in the initial eight high-risk counties of Migori, Siaya, Kisumu, Nairobi, Kajiado, Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi.
The ministry’s Acting Director-General Patrick Amoth had told the media that those five cases involving Indian nationals had been imported into the country before the country banned flights to and from India.
“We picked this from a sample of Indian travelers who are doing some work in the western part of Kisumu. Health teams are doing contact tracing,” he said.
“This variant has been picked in Kenya and because of connectivity, it was just a matter of time. You cannot put barriers to prevent a virus from accessing your territory,” Amoth had said.
Total confirmed COVID 19 positive cases are now 179,075 with a cumulative test so far conducted are 1,904,519.
The fatality caseload as a result of the virus stands at 3,456 as of yesterday.