THE STANDARD By
Mercy Adhiambo |
January 2nd 2021 at 00:00:00 GMT +0300
The economic and social upheavals that roiled the country in the past nine months impacted citizens in different ways. From the loss of dear ones to opportunities that were snatched away, it was a trying period. But 2021 offers the opportunity to give thanks that we are still alive and we can look forward to a better tomorrow
Lillian Nyansera talks about losing both parents to Covid 19 pandemic. [Courtesy, Standard]
The year that many have described as horrendous, confusing, and full of anxiety has finally drawn to a close. It has been a season of losses: lives, jobs, hopes, and a part of the self. When people made plans for 2020, not even in their wildest imagination did they think a pandemic that started in far-off Wuhan would ripple across the globe and impact different aspects of their lives. As the New Year begins, they can only hope that it brings good tidings; that it will be a season of restorat
Pandemic progress in Kenya
By the end of July 2020, Kenya had reported only 341 deaths and ∼20,000 cases of COVID-19. This is in marked contrast to the tens of thousands of deaths reported in many higher-income countries. The true extent of COVID-19 in the community was unknown and likely to be higher than reports indicated. Uyoga
et al. found an overall seroprevalence among blood donors of 4.3%, peaking in 35- to 44-year-old individuals (see the Perspective by Maeda and Nkengasong). The low mortality can be partly explained by the steep demographics in Kenya, where less than 4% of the population is 65 or older. These circumstances combine to result in Kenyan hospitals not currently being overwhelmed by patients with respiratory distress. However, the imposition of a strict lockdown in this country has shifted the disease burden to maternal and child deaths as a result of disruption to essential medical services.
In 2007, Kenyan health economist Edwine Barasa had a long layover at Heathrow Airport. A fervent supporter of the London-based soccer club Arsenal, he saw a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream: visiting the club s ancestral stadium in Highbury. Even though he didn t have the right paperwork, he managed to convince an immigration officer to stamp his passport with a warning that he absolutely had to be back in 12 hours or they would both be in trouble.
The incident speaks to Barasa s tenacity and powers of persuasion, says his boss, Philip Bejon, who directs the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)–Wellcome Trust Research Programme. These traits, Bejon says, have served Barasa well in his role as director of the program s office in Nairobi, where he s been a key player in Kenya s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Edwine always shows up as an authentic and sincere scientist who convinces his colleagues.”
It only needs normal refrigeration to remain viable, which makes it easier to distribute. AstraZeneca’s Chief Executive Pascal Soriot also said the vaccine should be effective against the new variant of coronavirus that was found to be more contagious with cases reported in the UK and the US.
Vials with a sticker reading, COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. [FIle, Dado Ruvic, Illustration]
The first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered in the UK from Monday.
Approval in the UK is a major sign of confidence in the vaccine for Kenya and others who have ordered the Oxford vaccine, but it is the European Union s consent that will make it accessible to Africa.
The three had recently studied the prevalence of birth defects in Kiambu County for a five-year period from 2014 to 2018.
Their report appears this month (December) in the Pan African Medical Journal and tells of an unfolding “silent epidemic.”
The team had analysed records of all children born with physical abnormalities in 13 sub-country hospitals in Kiambu.
The sampled sub-county hospitals included Kihara, Karuri, Wangige, Nyathuna, Lari-Rukuma, Ruiru, Tigoni, Lussigetti, Kigumo and Igegania plus the three county referral hospitals of Kiambu, Thika and Gatundu.
Overall, the study found a year-to-year increase of children being born with physical abnormalities in the county.
“There was a steady annual increase in the prevalence estimates of various physical defects in children during the study period,” wrote the authors.