Kenya ‘runs out of ICU beds’ as third Covid wave hits

Kenya has run out of ICU beds as the country deals with a surge in Covid-19 cases, the doctors’ union has said.

Healthcare workers were among those admitted at various hospitals across the country, Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) said in a statement.

Several doctors have been sharing their experiences on social media, describing heart-breaking scenes they are witnessing in hospitals across the country.

Kenya’s Director General for Health, Patrick Amoth, told a media briefing on Tuesday that a national study had found the presence of coronavirus variants first detected in South Africa and the UK.

“Most [cases] of the South African variant have been picked from our border with Tanzania, especially in people with a history of travel from Tanzania,” Dr Amoth said.

A recent study found Kenya has about 537 ICU beds and just under 300 ventilators.

The country has reported 122,000 Covid-19 cases and 2,000 deaths.