Nairobi: Kenya's president has inaugurated a new hospital in Nairobi, equipped with COVID-19 treating facilities, that cater for United Nations staff, diplomats and others who can afford the treatment.
"This facility I believe will serve as a showcase for the United Nations in Africa and globally. It will cater to the United Nations staff and their families, the entire diplomatic community in Kenya and augment the health capacity in Kenya," Uhuru Kenyatta said at the opening ceremony on Friday.
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But most Kenyans infected with the coronavirus will not be able to afford this state-of-the-art hospital and the majority have little or no confidence in the health care system.
In Kenya's coastal town of Kilifi, Zainab Rajab, a 47-year-old mother of four, does what most Kenyans do in rural parts of the country - she prepares traditional remedies.
She makes a concoction of ginger, water and lemon which she believes works well to boost her immune system and ward off viruses.
"People fear going to the hospitals for testing because our counterparts tell us that the process of treatment and testing for COVID-19 is painful," she says as she drinks the ginger and lemon tea.
Not far from Rajab's home, Kenya has begun phase 1 trials of one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates which have been developed by the University of Oxford in partnership with the pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca.
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This week they started vaccine trials targeting 40 frontline workers, out of which two have undergone vaccinations so far, said George Warimwe, a virologist with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) -Wellcome Trust Research Program.
AP
