Kenya Bitter Truth

By Bundi Karau Nothing has tested the mettle of many physicians like the covid-19 pandemic. As the crisis lurches on, we are faced with hefty decisions everyday, and some of them take a heavy toll on our resolve and even mental health. Make no mistake, the pandemic is still in full swing, and there are little signs of ebbing of the tide. Further afield, giants like India are reeling under a surge of covid-19 deaths. The world must act and save the world's pharmacy. But three things have tested my mettle the most. Sometimes I count it God's grace that I can still wake up and head to work. Being in the eye of the storm is no easy job. 1. The scarcity of beds Nothing breaks my heart than relatives of a patient who is barely breathing calling me and requesting my help to get them a bed. This time, they are in a casualty somewhere, and the hospital says they can't admit them, there's no space. You call all your contacts, and don't succeed. You call back to tell them you...

By Bundi Karau Last week, an article appeared in the Standard about the sorry state of men on retirement. Men who were previously kings in their careers and businesses now suffer silently, as children and mothers alienate them and sentence them to loneliness and neglect. It was a sobering read. In the words of one commentator, men who don't spend time with their children in their formative years end up becoming like "a rained on cat that looks like a former lion." Most ladies who commented talked about the value of presence, and time spent with children. Accordingly, it is not the money that counts, but the time spent with kids. Otherwise you could end up spending your last years like a rained on lion. But come to think of it; can you actually achieve a perfect balance in life? I reckon that man was created to strive and to suffer. A man who doesn't strive misses a certain gene, a certain coding that the creator implanted in us. Whether as a professional or a business...

The memorial service for Mzee Simeon Nyachae was held at the Nairobi Central SDA Church on February 11, 2021. Residents from Nyanturago in Kisii County on Thursday staged a demonstration against decision to move Mzee Simeon Nyachae’s funeral venue. Also Read: Former Cabinet Minister Simeon Nyachae dies at 88 According to them, moving the venue from Musa Nyandusi stadium to Gusii stadium amounts to disrespect of their culture since Nyachae’s will indicated where the official ceremony should be held. The angry residents who thronged the stadium were astonished to see organizers demolish tents already erected for the Monday, February 15 send off. According to them, local hotels and shops were already stocked in readiness to receive visitors across the country. Musa Nyandusi Stadium is considered a cultural venue for most Gusii cultural and political activities. Also Read: 1. Leaders mourn former minister Simeon Nyachae 2. Former Cabinet Minister Simeon Nyachae dies at 88 3. Maziko ya mke ...

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DETROIT — Republican members of a key Michigan elections board refused on Tuesday to certify Detroit’s election results in a nakedly partisan effort to hold up Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory over President Trump — only to reverse themselves after an outcry from the city’s voters and state officials. The initial deadlock and pressure-packed turnaround capped a chaotic day of repeated Republican misfires in the party’s attempt to undermine the election results. Republicans lost a case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and faced a skeptical reception in a separate hearing in federal court in Pennsylvania, and an audit in Georgia confirmed there was no foul play with voting machines. The Republican gambit in Detroit was among the starkest examples of how previously routine aspects of the nation’s voting system have been tainted by Mr. Trump’s effort to challenge his defeat, and he appeared to revel in the night’s chaos with celebratory tweets attacking Detroit even after the deadlock en...

Two drugmakers, Pfizer and Moderna, have announced promising interim results for their vaccine candidates, raising hopes in the U.S. and abroad that the end of the pandemic may be in sight. But, if and when the vaccines are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, distributing them presents a daunting challenge. One big reason? One of the front-runners in the vaccine race — the one made by Pfizer — needs to be kept extremely cold: minus 70 degrees Celsius, which is colder than winter in Antarctica . Moderna has said that its vaccine needs to be frozen too, but only at minus 20 Celsius , more like a regular freezer. Since there will be limited vaccine doses at first, immunization managers across the country will need to have plans to distribute any and all vaccine doses that are available. For months, they've been puzzling over the particular challenges presented by the Pfizer vaccine, which requires these ultra-cold conditions. "I believe it can be done," says De...

Scientists at Cardiff University found there were "promising signs" that over-the-counter mouthwashes may help to destroy the virus. The report  comes ahead of a clinical trial on Covid-19 on patients at the University Hospital of Wales. Dr Nick Claydon said the study could lead to mouthwash becoming an important part of people's routines. While the research suggests use of mouthwash may help kill the virus in saliva, there is not evidence it could be used as a treatment for coronavirus, as it will not reach the the respiratory tract or the lungs. Dr Claydon, a specialist periodontologist, said: "If these positive results are reflected in Cardiff University's clinical trial, CPC-based mouthwashes... could become an important addition to people's routine, together with hand washing, physical distancing and wearing masks, both now and in the future." The university report states that mouthwashes containing at least 0.07% cetypyridinium chloride (CPC) showe...