Covid-19: Kenya records 494 new infections, 5 deaths
A medical health worker injects the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to a woman as they visit door-to-door to deliver the vaccines to people who live far from health facilities in Siaya, on May 18, 2021.
The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Kenya has risen to 166,876 after 494 more people tested positive to the virus in the last 24 hours.
Thursday’s numbers are from a sample size 6,428 analysed during the same period.
This resulted in a positivity rate of 7.7 per cent, the Health ministry said in a statement, adding the country has conducted 1,763,274 tests so far.
Of the new patients, 481 were Kenyans and 13 foreigners. In terms of distribution per gender, 332 are male while 162 are female. The youngest case was a year old child while the oldest was 100 years old.
Nairobi County accounted for 110 of the new cases, Nakuru 80, Kisumu 62, Kericho 29, Siaya 25, Meru 21, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu and Busia 16 cases each, Migori 15, Kilifi and Mombasa 10 cases each, Machakos 8, Bomet, Makueni, Kaimbu and Nandi 7 cases each, Murang’a and Homa Bay 5 cases each, Kakamega, Nyamira and Kirinyaga 4 cases each, Laikipia, Mandera, Kisii and Nyeri 3 cases each, Bungoma and Embu 2 cases each, Kitui, Kwale, Narok, Nyandarua, Taita Taveta, Vihiga, Baringo, Garissa, Isiolo and Kajiado 1 case each.
As of Thursday, the Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said, Kenya’s death toll had reached 3,040. He said that two deaths occurred in the last 24 hours while three deaths were reported after conducting facility record audits within the month.
CS Kagwe said 50 more patients had recovered, 27 of them at home-based programmes and 23 at health facilities countrywide bringing the total number of recoveries to 114,285.
He further said that 1,085 patients had been hospitalised by Thursday, 10 of them under intensive care units (ICU). Of those in ICU, 20 were on ventilator support, 67 on supplemental oxygen and 22 under observation.
Another 84 patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 81 of them being in general wards and five in high dependency units. The number of patients in the home-based care programme stood at 4,624.
In terms of vaccination, CS Kagwe said 948,980 people nationwide had taken the jab, among them 288,146 people aged 58 years and above, 163,490 health workers, 149,018 teachers and 80,153 security officers.
