Man Who Arrived from India Did Not Die of Coronavirus, Kenyan Government Says

The government says a man who died after he was admitted to MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi on Friday with coronavirus-like symptoms tested negative for the deadly disease.

The 56-year-old man of Asian descent was taken to the hospital after returning to the country from India but he died the following day while receiving medication at the facility, Citizen TV reported on Saturday.

The man allegedly exhibited signs associated with coronavirus including high temperature and difficulty in breathing.

Through Twitter on Sunday, government spokesperson Col. Cyrus Oguna confirmed the patient passed away but stated that he was not suffering from coronavirus.

“The Government wishes to inform the public that there is NO confirmed case of #Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in Kenya. Last evening, one suspected case (now deceased), was investigated at MP Shah hospital but turned negative on testing for COVID-19,” the tweet read.

At the same time, Oguna said a probe has been opened to establish how the patient’s confidential information leaked to the public.

“Meanwhile, investigations have been launched to determine how privileged and confidential patient information was leaked out and shared on social media,” he noted.

MP Shah Hospital also issued a statement on Sunday regarding the passing of the patient, saying investigations confirmed he did not have coronavirus.

“His condition worsened while undergoing treatment in our Intensive Care Unit and he, unfortunately, passed away on Saturday,” the hospital said.

“When the patient came in, as per our treatment protocols, we instituted the process of identifying the cause of the illness with a team of multidisciplinary specialists involved in the care of the patient, and alerted the Ministry of Health Disease and Emergency Response teams to assist in the same.”

“The investigations carried out have since determined that the patient did not have Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).”