Eldoret residents put on face masks to hamper the spread of coronavirus,
on April 8, 2020. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
As shortage of protective gear for use in prevention of spread
coronavirus bites, the government is pleading with the public to avoid
buying N95 masks so that there will be sufficient for local healthcare
workers.
In
a joint statement by the Ministry of Health and Kenya Bureau of
Standards, the government says there is a limited supply of personal
protective equipment for health workers, including surgical masks and
N95 respirators, and is therefore encouraging the public to leave these
masks to the healthcare workers and the patients.
The
Ministry of Health is seeking to procure as many N95 masks as possible
for healthcare workers to bridge the gap since they are among one of the
groups at risk for contracting Covid-19.
“These
are masks specifically intended for the use of healthcare workers
because these are the persons who ware on the frontline, exposed to
persons with Covid-19 and be most at risk,” the statement said.
“Following
the government’s requirement that individuals going to public places
must wear facemasks, the Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Ministry of
Health wish to provide the following information as guidance to the
public on the use of the surgical masks and other facial coverings.
“For surgical masks, health caregivers and
patients in medical facilities are advised to use masks that have been
certified by Kebs. Kindly note that there is a limited supply of PPEs
for health workers including surgical masks and N95 respirators. The
general public is encouraged to leave these masks to the healthcare
workers and the patients. “
The
statement signed by Dr Patrick Amoth, acting Director-General, Ministry
of Health, and Bernard Njiraini, Managing Director Kebs, states that
reusable cloth coverings made of woven fabrics may offer limited
protection against droplets.
“Noting
that currently there is no Kenya standard for these types of covering,
certification for re-usable cloth coverings is currently not a mandatory
requirement prior to sale. However, the general public must take
caution that such cloth coverings do not guarantee protection against
ovid-19,” it states.
They advised the public to wash the re-usable face masks with soap and water before use.
Cabinet
Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe, announced that the country has
started producing its own protective gear and that it is in talks with
motor companies in the country to produce ventilators.
Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma has since donated PPEs to all African countries twice respectively.
The
first shipment arrived on March 23 with 20,000 laboratory diagnostic
test kits, 100,000 medical masks, and 1000 protective suits and face
shields.
The second donation to 54
countries in Africa included 500 ventilators, 200,000 suits and face
shields, 2,000 thermometers, one million swabs and extractions kits and
500,000 gloves.
The World Health
Organisation has warned that shortages of personal protective equipment
could leave frontline health workers at risk of contracting the disease.
“The
chronic global shortage of personal protective equipment is now one of
the most urgent threats to our collective ability to save lives. When
health workers are at risk, we are all at risk. Health workers in low
and middle-income countries deserve the same protection as those in the
wealthiest countries,” says World Health Organisation’s
Director-General, Tedros Adhanom.
Kenya is now seeking to produce some of these items locally as the global shortage may make it difficult to import them.
“There
are more than 50 companies that are capable of providing some of these
medical inputs. We started with sanitisers. Our textile sector has
confirmed that they have that capacity [to produce],” says Kenya’s
Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industrialisation Betty Maina.
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