Kenya’s COVID-19 positivity rate at 14.9% after 1,698 people test positive; 16 dead

The Ministry of Health on Thursday announced that 1,698 people tested positive for COVID-19 from a sample size of 11,352 tested in the last 24 hours, taking the total confirmed infections to 143,063 with a positivity rate of 14.9 %.

From the cases 1,591 are Kenyans while 107 are foreigners; 926 are males and 772 are females, while the youngest is a-17-day-old infant and the oldest is 100.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, in a statement to newsrooms, said 456 patients recovered from the disease; 267 were from the Home Based and Isolation Care, while 189 were discharged from various health facilities, taking the total recoveries to 97,650.

CS Kagwe further stated that 16 deaths were reported; one occurred in the last 24 hours, one within the last one month while 14 are late death reports from facility record audits that occurred on diverse dates. This pushes the cumulative fatalities to 2,292.

Cumulative deaths by age was as follows; 0-9 years (45), 10-19 years (17), 20-29 (94), 30-39 years (205), 40-49 years (322), 50-59 years (520), 60 years and above (1,089).

“A total of 1,620 patients are currently admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 4,247 patients are on Home Based Isolation and Care. 235 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 48 of whom are on ventilatory support and 155 on supplemental oxygen,” read the statement.

“32 patients are on observation. Another 261 patients are separately on supplementary oxygen with 248 of them in the general wards and 13 in the High Dependency Unit (HDU).”

In terms of vaccination, the ministry said a total of 378,363 people had been vaccinated with the Astrazeneca vaccine by end of Wednesday.

From this, 104,726 are health workers; 30,821 are security officers; 52,420 are teachers; and 190,396 are other members of the public who include those at 58 years and above.

In terms of gender, 213,971 (57%) are males and 164,392 (43%) are females.