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Body that was mistaken for that of cleric who died of Covid-19 exhumed

By Amina Wako August 4th, 2020 1 min read

Health officials in Vihiga county, Kisasi village, Shamakhokho location were forced to exhume the body of a stranger who was buried instead of a cleric who died after testing positive for Covid-19.

The team had buried the body of a man believed to have died after contracting the virus instead of that of Rev Linus Simwa who had tested positive for the virus.

Mortuary attendants only realised the mistake after the family of the man whose body had already been buried came for the body and they could not find it.

They were surprised to see the body of the cleric at the morgue although he had tested positive to Covid-19.

The government has recommended that the remains of patients who have succumbed to the virus be immediately buried under the World Health Organization guidelines.

RITUALS

The villagers had to perform several rituals before public health workers exhumed the body of an unidentified man at around 9pm.

Rev Simwa died of Covid-19 on Wednesday at the Vihiga Referral Hospital while the other man died shortly after being admitted at the hospital on the same day.

They were both placed in body bags and taken to the mortuary.

The body of Rev Simwa was placed in the same location as those who died from other ailments.