Coronavirus: Doctor shows residents of how to stay safe

A Nyahururu doctor has offered to sensitise residents of Laikipia West on how to stay safe from coronavirus.

Dr Peter Githuna said he noticed there was panic in the sub-county after the government announced the first case of coronavirus victim in the country.

“All people need is to be taught how to maintain high levels of hygiene using simple techniques and easily available resources,” he said.

He relies on village elders to gather the people so he can talk to them. He also uses local radio stations to pass the message.

In addition to showing the rural people how to wash hands and avoid hand greetings as much as possible, Githuna also encourages people to use tissue paper to clear their noses and when coughing since it is easy to dispose.

“Most of the people don’t know to wash hands. They think just wetting one’s hands is enough,” Githuna said, adding that clean hands remain the most basic way of staying safe.

He also encourages regular disinfecting of all door knobs since they are the most touched places.

He said the elderly should be encouraged to used multivitamins to boost their immunity in case they catch the virus.

The elderly have proved the most venerable in terms of death recorded since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in China in December 2019.

Githuna also urges people to avoid crowding and unnecessary travels saying the Covid-19 is a new virus whose incubation period is not known yet.

He said health practitioners at higher risk of contracting the virus as the challenge remains how people can differentiate a normal cold from Covid-19.

Githuna, who is also director of the Good Hope Hospital in Nyahururu town, said after talking to residents there is less anxiety.