Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory viral infection caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2. The first case of the infection was confirmed in Wuhan China in 2019, by early March 2020 the infection had spread to all the continents of the World attaining a pandemic status as declared by the World Health Organization on 11^th March 2020. Kenya reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case on 13^th March 2020, increasing to 5206 cases as reported on 24^th June 2020. COVID-19 is a novel infection with no known cure, currently, the mainstay to the infection is through public health measures. These measures are hand hygiene, cough etiquette, face masking and social distancing among others. This review aims to examine the literature on the public health measures which have been used to control outbreaks caused by respiratory viruses. The review will also identify the public health measures which Kenya is using to control the pandemic. A descriptive survey on the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kenya shows that infection is on the rise and the epidemic curve is on the ascending trajectory. The review informs that the country requires a high level of preparedness to handle COVID-19. The areas to consider include, having robust health care systems with an adequate number of; hospital beds, healthcare workers and personal protective equipment.

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