COVID-19: Kenyas positivity rate at 8% after 705 new cases recorded, 25 more dead

The Ministry of Health on Thursday announced that 705 people tested positive for COVID-19 from a sample size of 8,853 tested in the last 24 hours.

This takes the total confirmed infections to 162,098 with a positivity rate of 8 per cent and cumulative tests so far conducted to 1,701,385.

From the cases 687 are Kenyans while 18 are foreigners; 404 are males and 301 are females, while the youngest is a one-month-old infant and the oldest is 100 years.

The distribution of positive cases by age is as follows; 0-9 years (40), 10-19 years (41), 20-29 years (118), 30-39 years (154), 40-49 years (132), 50-59 years (97), 60 and above (123).

The cases were distributed across various counties namely: Nairobi 150, Mombasa 88, Kisumu 58, Busia 50, Kericho 46, Uasin Gishu 31, Taita Taveta and Bungoma 23 cases each, Tharaka Nithi and Trans Nzoia 20 cases each, Nyeri 18, Kiambu 17, Makueni 13, Machakos 12, Nakuru 10, Nandi 11, Kirinyaga and Murang’a 9 cases each, Bomet, Kajiado, Kilifi and Kitui 8 cases each, Mandera, Kakamega, Nyandarua, Kisii and Homa Bay 6 cases each, Nyamira 5, Meru and Garissa 4 cases each, Embu, Siaya and West Pokot 3 cases each, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kwale, Narok, Vihiga and Baringo 2 cases each, Isiolo, Laikipia and Marsabit 1 case each.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, in a statement to the press, said 711 patients recovered from the disease; 412 from the Home-Based and Isolation Care, while 299 were discharged from various health facilities countrywide.

Total recoveries now stand at 110,480; of whom 80,186 are from Home Based Care and Isolation while 30,294 are from various health facilities.

CS Kagwe further added that 25 deaths were reported; one having occurred in the last 24 hours, 14 on diverse dates within the last one month and 10 are late death reports from facility record audits. This pushes the cumulative fatalities to 2,850.

New deaths by age; 0-9 years (1), 10-19 years (0), 20-29 (0), 30-39 years (1), 40-49 years (1), 50-59 years (4), 60 years and above (18).

The CS also stated that a total of 1,086 patients are currently admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 6,381 patients are on Home Based Isolation and Care.

He added that 131 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 28 of whom are on ventilatory support and 83 on supplemental oxygen. 20 patients are on observation.

Another 117 patients are separately on supplemental oxygen with 109 of them in general wards and 8 in High Dependency Units (HDU).

“As of today, a total of 906,746 persons have so far been vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease countrywide. Of these 278,642 are aged 58 years and above, health workers (159,982), teachers (141,571), security officers (76,578) while 249,973 belong to the others category,” read the statement.