THE STANDARD
LETTERS
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Courtesy]
The news that Africa is gearing up to produce its own vaccines could not have come at a better time.
To use Raila Odinga’s words, Africa producing its own vaccines is a great step in the right direction. This would not only delink us from writing good literature on the noble innovations of vaccines only done by Western countries on our dissertations but would enable us to expeditiously solve eminent medical problems amicably without looking to the West as has become the norm.
While I would want to agree with Raila that Kenya can easily be the pharmaceutical and biotechnology hub of East Africa, I must as well reiterate that scientists must be given a free hand to do their work/research without political interference.
Largest clinical trial in Africa for people with mild COVID-19 to test new treatment eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Stephen Otieno, the Migori Football Club goalkeeper is vaccinated against Covid-19 at Migori County Referral Hospital on April 19, 2021. Youth football clubs in Migori have sent their members for the vaccine. [Caleb Kingwara, Standard]
Kenya’s presidential lockdown in the five ‘diseased counties’ has helped reduce Covid-19 infections, according to health experts and government officials, but fatalities remain high.
Experts are also warning of a fourth wave due to mutations and that Kenyans should not lower their guard on the face of increased fatalities despite numbers of infections and hospitalisations reducing.
President Uhuru Kenyatta locked the most affected counties on March 26 and “currently, we do not have pressure on the healthcare system as witnessed in early March and April, where patients in critical state were struggling to secure ICU beds,” said Patrick Amoth, the Director General of Health.
County Health Executive Clare Wanyama said the symptoms were overlapping in both diseases, and therefore during the pandemic, there should be high index of suspicion.
“Malaria is endemic disease in the region and because of increased numbers among those testing positive for the virus, Covid-19 is mandatory to avoid spreading the disease at community level,” said Wanyama.
She said the county is using Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) and rapid antigen testing.
However, due to the high number of tests performed daily, the PRC machine requires regular maintenance and repair. It is currently not functioning.
Samples collected through target testing are taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) or Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) in Kisumu for tests.
Faith Osier: inspirational immunologist thelancet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thelancet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.