A truck driver who was picked up by health surveillance teams in Miasenyi, Taita Taveta County on Saturday after he developed breathing complications among other symptoms linked to COVID-19 does not have the novel Coronavirus.
This is after his test results returned negative according to the Taita Taveta county health CEC John Mwakima.
According to Mwakima, the driver was coming back from Malaba along the Kenya Uganda border when he developed complications which included chest pains, difficulties in breathing and nausea.
The truck driver had been isolated at the Mwatate Subcounty hospital before his samples were taken to the Kenya Medical Research Institute(KEMRI) in Kilifi county.
Read also: Nyali leading in COVID-19 infections in Mombasa as County records four new infections
“As of the 19th of April 2020(2100hrs), the county department of health has taken 12 samples to the national COVID-19 testing laboratories where all the samples have registered a negative result,” Mwakima said on Sunday evening.
Taita Taveta is among the three coastal counties that have not recorded any case of COVID-19 alongside Tana River and Lamu counties.
On Sunday, health CAS Dr.Mercy Mwangangi announced that four more cases of COVID-19 had been recorded in Mombasa bringing the total number of cases in the coast region to 59.
Mombasa is leading at 47 cases while Kilifi and Kwale have recorded 11 and one cases respectively.
The national tally is currently at 270 cases.
