Kenya’s Covid-19 death toll on Friday grew by 17 to 2,309 but the Health ministry said all the deaths occurred in the last one month.
In a statement, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said a majority of the cumulative deaths – 1,100 – were of people aged 60 years and above, followed by those aged 50-59 (522) and 40-49 (323).
CS Kagwe further announced 1,091 new infections, out of a sample of 7,300 analysed in the last 24 hours, raising the country’s number of confirmed infections since the first one in March 2020 to 144,154. This resulted in a positivity rate of about 14.9 per cent, the ministry said.
Thus far, Kenya has tested 1,549,388 samples for the disease first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
Of the new patients, 1,058 were Kenyans and 33 foreigners, 610 male and 481 female, the youngest two months old and the oldest 100.
Nairobi County accounted for 353 of the new cases and was followed by Kiambu with 67, Uasin Gishu 65, Mombasa 57, Kericho 51, Murang’a 50, Machakos 49, Nakuru 48, Kakamega 34, Kilifi 32, Makueni, Kajiado and Kitui 29 each, and Nyandarua 26.
Then came Kisumu with 25, Busia 22, Bungoma 17, Trans Nzoia and Garissa 13 each, Turkana, Laikipia, Vihiga and Bomet 10 each, Meru nine, Baringo and Nyeri seven each, Samburu five, Migori three, Kwale, Lamu and Siaya two each, and West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Embu, Kirinyaga and Narok one each.
CS Kagwe also announced the recovery of 533 more patients , 297 of them in hospital and 236 under home-based isolation and care, raising the total to 98,183.
As of Friday, 1,605 patients had been hospitalised, 236 of them under intensive care. Of those in ICU, 45 were on ventilatory support, 159 on supplemental oxygen and 32 under observation.
Another 259 patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 246 of them in general wards and 13 in high dependency units.
The number of patients in the home-based care programme stood at 4,233.
CS Kagwe also reported that 422,021 people had received the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, among them 110,523 health workers, 34,150 security officers and 59,906 teachers. BY DAILY NATION