Bungoma woman, 31, escapes from hospital quarantine but gets recaptured

By , K24 Digital
On Fri, 10 Apr, 2020 12:23 | < 1 min read
Denmark, Finland and Norway responded quickly to the slightest increase in COVID-19 infections. [PHOTO | FILE]
Denmark, Finland and Norway responded quickly to the slightest increase in COVID-19 infections. [PHOTO | FILE]
Denmark, Finland and Norway responded quickly to the slightest increase in COVID-19 infections. [PHOTO | FILE]

A 31-year-old woman who escaped from a quarantine centre in Bungoma on Wednesday, April 8, has been recaptured.

The suspected coronavirus-carrier, a resident of Temba Temba Village in Chebukwabi Location, had been quarantined at Kimilili Sub-County Hospital after exhibiting symptoms.

The woman, whose name remains withheld out of respect for patient confidentiality, had travelled to Bungoma from Nairobi on April 3 while unwell, police said.

Upon arriving in Kimilili, she was placed under mandatory quarantine at the sub-county hospital after tests revealed that her body temperature was higher than what is considered normal.

K24 Digital understands that the woman’s mother was the one who alerted health officials when her daughter’s strong cough persisted.

“After spending a short while in quarantine Wednesday, she escaped,” Dr. Caleb Wanambisi of the Kimilili Sub-County Hospital told police.

The Kilimili Sub-County multi-agency team, headed by Deputy County Commissioner Tom Tarusi, launched a search for the patient, and she was found at home,” says a police report filed at Kimilili Police Station.

“She has now been placed under quarantine within the holding facility (a centre near Kimilili Hospital that is closely monitored by police),” added the report.

The woman’s samples were taken and tested at a government laboratory. Results are, however, yet to return.