Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) are outraged after NTV misquoted Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi.
Speaking during the daily COVID-19 briefing on Friday, Dr Mwangangi said that the ministry has been identifying virus cases posthumously.
This means that the cases have been identified long after the victims are dead.
But according to NTV, Dr Mwangangi confirmed that Kenyans are mysteriously dropping dead and urged netizens not to panic.
KOT thought the tweet was meant to cause jitters among Kenyans while others criticized the station for passing the wrong message.
Here are some of the comments:
https://twitter.com/njule_kevin/status/1286913451189731330
Pull this crap down. CS, Dr. Mwangangi said: "We've been identifying covid-19 cases posthumously…"
Is it the word posthumous that is difficult to understand?
Be responsible.
— Karani Mutonga (@Karanimutonga) July 25, 2020
This sounds more like fear mongering and should be treated as such.
— Rev. Dr. Paullycarp (@Paullycarp) July 25, 2020
Concerns have however, been raised over the increased number of people dropping dead under mysterious circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read: Kenya Records Highest Number Of Virus Cases In a Single Day As Total Crosses 15,000 Mark
In an instance earlier in the week, panic gripped residents of Meru town after a policeman guarding a bank branch collapsed and died on Tuesday afternoon.
The police officer who was attached to the Meru Police Station was on guard duty at Equity Bank Makutano branch when he died suddenly.
According to Meru County Police Commander Patrick Lumumba, the officer had gone to answer a call of nature at the bank’s restrooms at around 2.00 pm where he collapsed and died. When he took too long without returning to his duty post, his colleagues went in search of him and found him already dead.
Read Also: Tour Van Driver Collapses, Dies While On Duty At Nairobi National Park
His death was linked to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hence public health officials were called to the scene to help evacuate the officer’s body and conduct the appropriate procedures like fumigation of the premises.
“The officer had no known previous health issues. As with every sudden death these days, precautions have to be taken while handling corpses until doctors can determine the cause of death,” said Lumumba.
In yet other instance last month, a tour van driver collapsed and died while on duty at the Nairobi National Park.
Read Also: Chania Boys Principal Collapses and Dies After Attending Two Hour Meeting
Through a statement, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) confirmed the incident stating that the driver collapsed on the steering wheel leading the van to veer off the road.
“The Nairobi National Park management swiftly acted to secure the safety of the occupants and immediately called for the assistance of a medical doctor,” read the statement in part.
Although the circumstances under which the driver died were unclear, the KWS assured Kenyans that the park was safe and secure with necessary measures taken to ensure health safety is maintained amid COVID-19 menace.
Read Also: Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna Confirms Testing Positive For COVID-19
Chania Boys Principal, Allan Macharia on Friday collapsed and died during a meeting at the school.
His deputy principal, Simon Wahome said that the departed held a two-hour meeting with a contractor and a board member over the construction of a dormitory.
Wahome recounted Macharia complaining of shortness of breath before he walked over to his car and collapsed.
“I was called from my house by the bursar, I found the deceased inside his car. I drove him to Thika hospital where he was pronounced dead,” he said.
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