16-year-old succumbs to coronavirus in Kenya, caseload rises to 21,363

A 16-year-old patient is among 23 people to succumb to coronavirus in Kenya as the country reported 727 more people had tested positive.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the teenager’s death raises concern over the risk the disease poses to young people with the country’s death toll now at 364.

“We are increasingly seeing younger people passing away. People should stop socializing and gathering,” he said.

Kenya now has 21,363 cases of coronavirus after 6371 more samples were tested in the last 24 hours.

Of the new confirmed cases, 696 are Kenyans while 31 foreigners: 465 are males and 262 are female.

CS Kagwe stated that Nairobi remains a hotspot and Kirinyaga is also another county where infection rate is rapidly rising.

In addition, he noted that Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado require strategic support as they are overloaded.

“We took PPEs to Kiambu county yesterday (Friday). Kiambu is in that state and needs national government support due to the number of deaths and cases,” the CS said.

254 patients have however recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of recoveries to 8,419.

88 were in home-based care while 166 were discharged from various hospitals.

County distribution of the latest cases is as follows:

• Nairobi 470
• Kiambu 64
• Kajiado 25
• Kirinyaga 20
• Mombasa 16
• Migori 15
• Busia 13
• Machakos 12
• Laikipia 11
• Nakuru, Muranga and Kisumu 9 each,
• Nyeri and Siaya 7 each,
• Nyandarua, Narok and Uasin Gishu 5 each
• Isiolol, and Nandi 4 each
• Garissa 3
• Bomet, Meru, Vihiga and Homa Bay 2 each
• Kilifi, Bungoma, Kisii, Samburu, Trans Nzoia and Kwale 1 each