The Ministry of Health has recently contested assertions of a surge in Covid-19 cases attributed to a novel variant, dismissing claims raised by medical practitioners a fortnight ago. Concerns were voiced by some doctors who suspected encountering patients afflicted with the emerging JN1 Covid-19 variant.
Distinguishing between variants poses a challenge for ordinary PCR tests for Covid-19. Accurate variant identification necessitates sending a respiratory sample from a nasal or throat swab to a laboratory, where technicians conduct tests to decode the virus’s genetic makeup.
Acting Director-General of Health, Patrick Amoth, underscored the routine implementation of such tests in over 10 sites across Kenya. Since December, these tests have specifically targeted the JNI variant, yet no instances have been reported within the country.
Amoth emphasized that the observed uptick in coughs and sore throats can be attributed to seasonal influenza rather than the novel variant. He stated, “None of these sites have reported an increase in the numbers of the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) but increased cases of influenza have been reported.”
According to Amoth, the surge in influenza cases aligns with Kenya’s historical patterns, with two peaks typically observed from February to March and July to November. He assured, “The current increase in numbers is in line with the expected cases of influenza at this time of the year, and there has been no significant changes in the number of hospitalizations and deaths reported.”
However, past records from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) conflict slightly with Amoth’s statement. Kemri’s data indicates Kenya’s flu seasons typically span from March to May and July to October/November.
The most recent Covid-19 cases in Kenya were documented in May 2023 by the Kemri Wellcome Trust Research Programme. Through its genomic surveillance program, Kemri identified a new branch of the Omicron variant responsible for an unusual outbreak of ‘flu-like’ symptoms reported by many Kenyans in April and May 2023. This lineage was dubbed FY4, making Kenya the first country to report its emergence.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns about the underreporting of Covid-19 data by many countries, with only a fraction providing updates on deaths, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions. Despite Kenya’s earlier commitment to reporting Covid-19 data to the WHO, there is uncertainty regarding the continuity of this practice in 2024.
As per WHO records, Kenya had recorded at least 343,918 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 5,689 Covid-19-related deaths by the end of 2023. As of April 1, 2023, approximately 23.7 million vaccine doses had been administered in the country.
