Kenya reports 629 new Covid-19 infections, positivity rate at 10.8pc

 

Kenya’s Covid-19 positivity rate stood at 10.8 per cent on Tuesday, the Health ministry reporting 629 new infections from a sample of 5,832 tested in the last 24 hours.

The country’s number of declared infections rose to 152,523 while the cumulative tests stood at 1,611,679.

Of the new patients, 612 were Kenyans and 17 foreigners. 358 male and 271 female, the youngest one year old and the oldest 92.

Nairobi County accounted for 201 of the new cases, Kericho 43, Nakuru 37, Kiambu 36, Machakos 31, Uasin Gishu 30, Garissa 25, Kilifi 22, Meru, Kitui, Kisumu and Nyamira 17 each, Turkana and Mombasa 15 each, Siaya 13 and Kirinyaga 10.

And then came Nandi, Isiolo and Kajiado with nine each, Bomet and Homa Bay with eight each, Nyandarua and Taita Taveta seven each, Kakamega five, Nyeri and Laikipia four each, Makueni and Narok three each, Murang’a two, and West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kisii, Kwale and Migori one each.

Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe also reported 18 more deaths, but explained that only two of them occurred over the past 24 hours.

Eight occurred over the last month while the other eight were confirmed during the audit of facility records, CS Kagwe said.

This raised the country’s death toll to 2,519.

In terms of recoveries, the ministry said 1,560 more had raised the count to 103,838, and that 1,358 of the patients were under home-based care and 202 at health facilities across the country.

As of Tuesday, 1,527 patients had been admitted to treatment centres countrywide while 6,751 were being treated at home.

Of those admitted, 251 were in intensive care units (ICU), 54 of them on ventilatory support , 155 on supplemental oxygen and 43 patients under observation.

Another 192 patients were separately on supplementary oxygen, 177 of them in general wards and 15 in high dependency units (HDU).

Regarding vaccination, the CS said 721,509 doses had been administered by Tuesday and that among the recipients were 409,711 people aged 58 years and above, 143,050 health workers, 109,593 teachers and 59,155 security officers. In terms of gender, 404,164 of those inoculated were male and 316,951 female.

CS Kagwe also reported that 4,698 health care workers had contracted the coronavirus while 38 had succumbed to it.    BY DAILY NATION