By Salim Mutuma
You will never hear huge numbers of Covid-19 reported from Isiolo but a number of people continue to die from the disease on daily basis, the Press Point can reveal.
On a normal day, less than 20 samples are sent to Nairobi for testing and many are the times when it takes several days before any sample is taken.
In fact, the samples are mostly taken when there is a suspected case and the health team rarely takes voluntary tests for Covid-19 from residents. The frequency of the testing in recent months had drastically dipped and officials have in recent weeks been reviving it.
With results taking several days, some of the patients in critical condition succumb to the disease and even infect others as proper treatment cannot be done before their status is known.
Some of the officials we spoke to said the rate of infection is high and contact tracing has been challenging as families of people who test positive mostly refuse to compy with authorities.
And though the county health department insists only 11 people, among them two nurses, have died from the disease in the last one year, unconfirmed reports indicate the number could be three times higher.
Two people who had been admitted at the Isiolo Referral Hospital’s Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit reportedly died last week. One of them is a kin to another still admitted at the facility.
There has been concerns over the increasing number of people being buried within Isiolo town in the last one month with relatives to the deceased persons saying they died after exhibiting Corona-like symptoms.
Some 285 people have so far tested positive for Covid-19 out of 2575 samples tested in the last one year according to Health Executive Wario Galma.
There are also concerns over cases of people dying at their homes after falling sick as most no longer visit hospitals for checkups and treatment for various ailments.
Former Deputy Governor Mohammed Guleid on Wednesday shocked residents when he revealed that he attended six burials and that most of those buried died from Covid-19.
“I am in Isiolo and we are burying six people today and most due to Covid-19,” he shared on his Twitter account Simba Guleid.
Abdikarim Issack would later share on Facebook that he attended five burials, two at OlaOdha, two at Taqwa and one at Bulapesa.
The two asked residents to strictly observe the health guidelines on hygiene, social distancing and wearing of masks.
“Take care, stay home and avoid public contacts. You would rather buy a mask for Sh20 than ICU,” Mr Guleid appealed.
Isiolo Health Executive Wario Galma said six people have been admitted at the ICU facility and that two patients on home-based care were being closely monitored by the health workers.
“We can revive the economy but we cannot revive lives. Take care of yourself, wear a mask, wash hands and keep social distance,” Mr Issack shared on Facebook.
With the ICU facility overstretched, the residents might be forced to seek the services in other hospitals but are there empty beds?
Hospitals across the country are full and the only way to rid yourself and the family the burden of struggling to access the expensive life supporting services is through strict adherence to Ministry of Health guidelines.
