Opinion: Lets Exploit Coming Weeks to Prevent Deadly Covid-19 Fourth Wave

The latest Ministry of Health projections regarding a looming COVID-19 fourth wave are not encouraging.

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The government warns that the wave, which is likely to begin at the peak of the cold season in June or July, is will be to be more lethal.

The prediction should not come as a surprise to Kenyans, who have, over the last year, witnessed the virus become gradually deadlier.

After the country recorded the first COVID-19 death on March 26, 2020, it took eight months to report 1,000 fatalities from the epidemic. But it took five months to record 2,000 deaths and just sixty days to hit the 3,000 marks.

An average of 14 deaths per day was reported during the first wave in August 2020, which shot up to 19 fatalities daily during the second wave in November. The number would later rise to 21 deaths daily during the recent third wave that started last February and lasted three months.

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The virus has so far claimed nearly 3.4 million lives globally, with over 164 million positive cases recorded. It has disrupted the global economy and literally turned billions of lives upside down.

The constantly mutating nature of Sars-CoV-2 has heightened the uncertainty around the virus.

The availability of the COVID-19 vaccines has proved not to be the ultimate solution, as people are testing positive even after getting their first dose of vaccine.

Never mind that the world is facing a dire COVID -19 vaccines shortage as medical giants such as India and Britain reel under the weight of coronavirus.

The warning of a more lethal fourth COVID-19 wave should bring all Kenyans to their senses, for we are aware of the dangers the pandemic poses. Our wellbeing and livelihoods remain on the line.

The escalation of containment measures by President Uhuru Kenyatta every time there is a surge in infections has caused profound agony in many households. It has, for instance, pushed the hospitality industry to its knees and rendered many citizens working in travels firms, hotels, bars and restaurants jobless.

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The restrictions have currently been relaxed. Uhuru promises to de-escalate them further if new infection cases remain low as members of the public increasingly adhere to the set health protocols.

But he has vowed to tighten the measures - a reality we all dread - if the opposite happens.

To avert more pain in the form of a fourth wave, we must all play our individual roles to keep the virus at bay.

The least we can do is to follow the public health guidance that experts have been promoting all along: wear a mask in public, keep a safe distance from others, wash your hands often and avoid crowded and poorly ventilated spaces.

The media should continue highlighting the danger posed by the new COVId-19 variants to keep everyone duly concerned and on their toes.

There is no denying that a sense of fatigue has kicked, with a notable drop in sensitivity as ordinary people are overloaded with sustained news reports on the risks of the novel coronavirus.