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Source: https://allafrica.com/stories/202107130766.html
Kenya: Mombasa ICU Facilities Full as Coronavirus Cases Surge
13 July 2021
The Nation (Nairobi)
By Winnie Atieno
...Dr Ahmed Kalebi, a specialist in general and anatomical pathology, and laboratory medicine, claimed there was a surge in coronavirus cases in Mombasa, with all ICU beds at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital and private hospitals full.
"It appears that the Ministry of Health is woefully under-reporting actual data. I'm reliably informed by senior doctors in Mombasa that there's a terrible surge in Mombasa where all ICU beds are full. While Covid-19 wards are overwhelmed, that is not reflected in Ministry of Health statistics," he said.
Part of the problem, he said, was that many cases are being diagnosed in hospitals and clinics using antigen tests/CT-scans instead of PCR (polymerase chain reaction, a test performed to detect genetic material from coronavirus).
"Because the Ministry of Health simply doesn't collate data on non-PCR tests from these medical facilities, the data does not represent a true picture," he said, urging counties and the national government to find ways of ensuring all positive antigen tests and CT-scans are reported to the centralised database.
PCR tests have their drawbacks compared with antigen tests, Dr Kalebi said, including cost and turnaround time.
But the Mombasa County government rejected the claims, describing them as outrageous...
Kenya: Mombasa ICU Facilities Full as Coronavirus Cases Surge
13 July 2021
The Nation (Nairobi)
By Winnie Atieno
...Dr Ahmed Kalebi, a specialist in general and anatomical pathology, and laboratory medicine, claimed there was a surge in coronavirus cases in Mombasa, with all ICU beds at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital and private hospitals full.
"It appears that the Ministry of Health is woefully under-reporting actual data. I'm reliably informed by senior doctors in Mombasa that there's a terrible surge in Mombasa where all ICU beds are full. While Covid-19 wards are overwhelmed, that is not reflected in Ministry of Health statistics," he said.
Part of the problem, he said, was that many cases are being diagnosed in hospitals and clinics using antigen tests/CT-scans instead of PCR (polymerase chain reaction, a test performed to detect genetic material from coronavirus).
"Because the Ministry of Health simply doesn't collate data on non-PCR tests from these medical facilities, the data does not represent a true picture," he said, urging counties and the national government to find ways of ensuring all positive antigen tests and CT-scans are reported to the centralised database.
PCR tests have their drawbacks compared with antigen tests, Dr Kalebi said, including cost and turnaround time.
But the Mombasa County government rejected the claims, describing them as outrageous...