Coronavirus cases jump to 320 as 17 test positive in Mombasa, Nairobi

Kenya has confirmed 17 more cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 320.

12 of the new cases are from Mombasa while 5 are from Nairobi.

Speaking on Thursday from Afya House, Health Ministry CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi noted that 15 of the new cases were picked by the ministry’s surveillance team.

2 cases are from tests carried out at the designated quarantine centres.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has tested 668 samples in the last 24 hours with the bulk of the tests – 478 samples- being tested in Nairobi which is leading with the number of infections.

At the same time, Kenya has confirmed 6 more recoveries from the new coronavirus bringing the tally of recoveries to 89.

The MoH has also noted with a lot of concern that Kenyans are over-relying on hand sanitizers while washing hands with running water and soap remains the most effective way.

“We have noticed a worrying over-reliance on sanitizers while sanitizers are effective, soap & running water is the best for fighting this disease. People must therefore start prioritizing washing hands & only sanitize in conditions where sanitizing will be useful”Dr. Mwangangi said.