Govt: Woman in viral video not Coronavirus ‘patient zero’
The government has dismissed allegations that the woman in a video that has gone viral on social media is that of the 27-year-old woman who tested positive to the Coronavirus, christened Covid-19, on Friday.
Through government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna, the government has instead warned Kenyans against spreading fake news on the Coronavirus in the country, vowing to take action against those found culpable.
“We have initiated a process to track down individuals spreading fake news. I am not only referring to the video of the lady which is already in our possession but we also are tracking down fake news and alerts being issued in the public,“ Oguna said.
The woman in the viral video reportedly uploaded the video in which she denies having the virus after she allegedly saw her image circulating in some Facebook groups and on whatsapp that she was patient zero.
In the video, woman is backed by her son and her driver who reportedly drove her to Kitale and back to Nairobi.
The yet unidentified woman, however, does not say when she arrived in the country and what country she travelled from, only denying reports that she had contracted the new Coronavirus.
“My name is Jane and I’m just here to say something. I don’t have any Coronavirus. I’m okay. I am kissing my baby here, stop with all the propaganda. We don’t have any Coronavirus. I recently travelled to Kitale, Eldoret, Keiyo back to Kitale and flew to Nairobi via Safarilink. We don’t have Corona, we were screened on arrival. We were tested and we are good.” she said in the video.
On Friday, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe confirmed the country’s first case of Coronavirus after a 27-year-old female student who arrived on March 5 from the US via London tested positive, urging Kenyans to take necessary precautions.