The Health ministry on Tuesday said elderly citizens will be prioritized in the treatment of coronavirus in public health facilities.

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe said 2.6 million Kenyans above 60 years are highly susceptible to contract coronavirus disease.

“As you are aware, this segment of our population of persons 60 years and above are 2.6 million. They are a high-risk group in terms of Covid-19,” said CS Kagwe.

He said most of the elderly people have underlying conditions that make them more vulnerable to covid-19.

“As we ramp up our Covid-19 mitigation measures, I urge our healthcare workers to give priority to older persons in our healthcare facilities. Ask them about existing conditions they may have and verify last visit details and medication,” Kagwe said.

The CS noted treating the elderly people may be complicated as some may be suffering from psychological, cognitive, and nutritional issues.

Meanwhile, the CS confirmed 397 more coronavirus cases pushing total infections in Kenya to 14,168.

Since the previous announcement, 3,637 more cases were tested which brought total tests to 249,998.