Laikipia Health Service (LHS) has set up 180 and 360 litres oxygen plants to the tune of Sh90 million in Nyahururu and Nanyuki respectively in bid to help in treatment of Covid-19 virus.
Speaking to the media at LHS, Nanyuki town, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of medical services and public health Rose Maitai said Covid-19 virus is spiralling and hence need to adhere to protection measures.
“Medical oxygen supplementation is costly and we have to remind ourselves that Covid-19 virus is still within our society. At no point should we lower the guard,” Ms Maitai emphasised, adding that “we are receiving a lot of requests to waive of Covid-19 hospital charges.”
Maitai said that they are also installing a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Covid-19 testing machine at a cost of Sh15 million at both Nyahururu and Nanyuki LHS outlets as one of their capacity enhanced plans.
“This will stop the sending of specimens outside the county and is expected to be operational in two months’ time,” the CECM revealed.
She said that since the government rolled out Covid-19 inoculation at the hospital in April 2021, at least 28,838 people have received the first dose of Covid-19 and 13,264 second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine.
“Vaccination helps guard against severe illness and is therefore not an assurance that one cannot contract Covid-19. We therefore urge those vaccinated to continue observing all the measures in place,” Maitai said, adding they are targeting at least to vaccinate 120,000 residents by the end of this year.
She noted the county has 300 isolation beds, nine Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, 31 oxygen cylinders, 56 oxygen concentrators, 180 litres oxygen plant and 14 vaccination centres.
The county health boss further said that Covid-19 cumulative cases as of now are 3,355 which accounts to 1,786 males and 1,569 females.
As the government continues to urge Kenyans to get vaccinated, according to The US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Covid-19 surveillance report conducted between May 1 and July 25 shows that the risk of infection, hospitalisation and fatalities is lower for vaccinated compared to the unvaccinated.
By Muturi Mwangi
