State mulls flights restriction over new virus strain

 

Covid-19 reported in the UK and South Africa.

Various state agencies are in discussions to reconsider a possible restriction of international flights in an effort to curb the spread.

The development comes as the country recorded 154 new positive cases from a sample size of 3,262 tested in 24 hours.

The new cases raise the country’s virus caseload to 94,768 from cumulative samples of 1,014,287 tested since March.

The discovery of the new strain sowed new panic over a pandemic that has killed almost 1.7 million people worldwide.

“On travel advisories, there is nothing that is not on the table. As you know various actors are involved in discussing and observing global trends. So far we have not taken the measures but we are in discussion and looking at what is happening across the world,” Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said on Tuesday.

Already, the British government has issued an advisory against unnecessary travel by its citizens in the wake of the reports about the new strain.

“We have taken that into consideration as we make our own arrangements and consider what further measures to take and probably in the next 48 hours we will be making further announcements,” he said.

“It is possible for us because of this variant virus to start taking other measures. We are reconsidering the possibilities of what to do about the flights. We are entering back into a situation that is unknown.”

Countries across the globe have shut borders and banned travel between the UK over fears about a highly infectious new coronavirus strain, causing travel chaos.

The strain, referred to by some experts as the B.1.1.7 lineage, is not the first new variant of the pandemic to emerge but is said to be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the UK.

Three more patients succumbed to the virus on Tuesday, raising the death toll in the country to 1,647.

Nairobi continued to lead in the number of cases after recording 50 new cases followed by Kilifi with 20, Kiambu 15, Marsabit 10, Turkana 10, Busia nine and Meru eight.

The CS further confirmed that 835 patients were admitted in various health facilities countrywide  with 3,740 on the home based isolation and care.

Forty three patients were in the intensive care unit, 22 of whom were on ventilator support and 20 on supplemental oxygen and one under observation.