Covid-19 risk greater in Mombasa County
What you need to know:
- Mombasa has an attack rate of 107.9 per 100,000 people while Nairobi’s is 55.2, compared with 10.4 per 100,000 for the whole country.
- Mombasa has a population of 1.3 million, according to the latest census, compared with Nairobi’s 4.4 million.
You’re more likely to contract Covid-19 in Mombasa than in any other county, though Nairobi has the highest number of cases.
During Wednesday’s press briefing, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi said Mombasa and Nairobi have the highest infection rate for Covid-19.
Mombasa has an attack rate of 107.9 per 100,000 people while Nairobi’s is 55.2, compared with 10.4 per 100,000 for the whole country.
Mombasa has a population of 1.3 million, according to the latest census, compared with Nairobi’s 4.4 million.
“These statistics tell us that the risk of getting Covid-19 is higher in Mombasa compared to Nairobi,” Dr Mwangangi said.
She added that the Ministry of Health is working to define risk level per county, given that the virus has been reported in 40 counties.
Currently, Nairobi has 2,428 cases, followed by Mombasa with 1,304, then Busia with 361 and Kajiado with 179.
“From these statistics and the projection, it is becoming less tenable to isolate all confirmed Covid-19 patients in hospital-based treatment facilities,” Dr Mwangangi said.
The reason for the high numbers in Nairobi and Mombasa is because the cases were imported. There is also high mobility [of] a lot of activity and contact between individuals in these regions, Dr Mwangangi said.
She said the attack rate is a measure of the risk. “Going forward, the question is how the attack rate will evolve. Could it be a measure for each and every one of us when it comes to containment?” she posed.
Statistics show that 78 per cent of Covid-19 patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, which can be managed at home. The government has proposed home-based care for such patients.
“There is already community transmission throughout the country and if we don’t continue with the measures, all the 47 counties will be afflicted.
“We’ve not reached our peak yet, and the numbers will continue rising,” she said.
Wednesday, 254 new cases were reported, bringing total infections to 5,206. They were from 4,859 samples, bringing the total samples tested to 151,396.
Meanwhile, 41 patients recovered, raising the number of those discharged
