The new 15 infections of the Indian strain were identified from 17 samples that were tested in the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Kilifi.
While announcing the development on Wednesday, May 12, the health ministry’s acting director-general Patrick Amoth also said genomic sequencing showed the Indian variant did not spread in Kisumu where it was first detected.
On Wednesday, May 5, the ministry announced the deadly variant had been found among five people working at a fertilizer plant near Kibos in Kisumu.
Amoth said the infections were identified on arrival into the country on Thursday, April 29, before the ban on flights from India was imposed.
Days later, five more people tested positive for the same variant while 100 others were quarantined. Kisumu health CEC Boaz Otieno said the situation was under control but urged residents to adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols released by the Ministry of Health and WHO.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced a 14-day ban on all passenger flights from India to Kenya.
Kagwe said the decision followed a series of consultations and deliberations among the National Emergency Response Committee on COVID-19 members.