Effective Response to Covid-19

NEWS

Effective Response to Covid-19

The GCH leadership team observe as Dr. Chary Sidhanti gets her Covid-19 Vaccine when the initiative was launched at Muthaiga main hospital.

Kenya reported its first Covid-19 case on March 12, 2020.

That first case was the beginning of the journey in the fight against Covid-19. The president ordered travel restrictions, directed people to work from home and sanctioned curfew hours across the country, which applied to everyone except essential service workers.

With these developments, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital has led the way through the formulation of key initiatives which included workforce wellbeing, clinical management, molecular diagnostics, as well as functioning as a Covid-19 vaccination site. In this difficult period, the hospital has put the staff first.

Risk assessments have been completed for those at greater risk, enabling us to take reasonable steps to protect our staff. Precautionary measures including pre-screening for all staff and visitors, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and hand hygiene were adopted early in the pandemic.

In October 2020, we set up a molecular diagnostic laboratory which is designed to detect an active infection with SARS-Cov-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, in addition to other high-threat infectious diseases. The hospital has conducted over 33,000 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests and over 3,000 Rapid Antigen tests as of August 2021.

The Hospital has isolation zones, ready patient transportation vehicles and adequate critical care nursing capacity.

CEO, Dr Robert Nyarango receives his Covid-19 jab.

With effect from March 2021 Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital has been a Ministry of Health-designated vaccination site. Through this collaboration, over 34,000 doses of different vaccine types have been administered to eligible population groups as regularly updated by the Ministry as of August 2021.

The Hospital has also partnered with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), in a program approved by the Ministry of Health, to extend vaccination to qualifying individuals registered by its members. We have shared the criteria for vaccination with the public and requested everybody to encourage as many people as possible who meet the criteria to take the vaccine.

This is done through a strict appointment system. Whereas vaccination provides good protection from severe disease and death, it does not eliminate the need for the highest level of infection control. Those vaccinated can still get infected by Covid-19, can spread the virus, and can fall ill to the point of hospitalization.

Even when vaccinated, we encourage everyone to apply the required Covid-19 procedures. Our individual and collective safety depends on how well we implement the required infection control protocols as individuals.

With these developments, “ Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital has led the way through the formulation of key initiatives which included workforce wellbeing, clinical management, molecular diagnostics, as well as functioning as a Covid-19 vaccination site.”