Kenya's Covid-19 cases increase by 400 to 107,729

The number of declared Covid-19 infections in Kenya on Tuesday rose by 400 to 107,729, Health minister Mutahi Kagwe announced in a statement, saying 5,189 samples had been tested within a day.

The Cabinet Secretary said the country had tested at least 1,322,806 samples for the disease by March 5, since reporting its first case about a year ago.

All but 33 of the new patients were Kenyans whereas 248 of them were male and 154 female, the youngest nine months old and the oldest 95.

Two hundred and seventy nine of the new patients were found in Nairobi County, which remained in the lead in terms of the number of infections recorded daily per county.

It was followed by Kiambu with 37 new infections, Murang'a and Kericho nine each, Kajiado eight, Machakos seven, Kisumu, Turkana and Nyeri six each, Busia and Uasin Gishu four each, and Garissa, Kilifi and Kitui three each.

And then came Kisii, Makueni, Siaya, Vihiga, Mombasa and Nakuru with two cases each, Nandi, Nyandarua, Bomet and Bungoma with just one each.

CS Kagwe further announced that the number of recovered patients had risen by 77 to 87,176 and that 50 of them had been hospitalised while 27 were in the home-based care programme.

He also reported that three more patients had succumbed to the virus, raising the death toll in Kenya to 1,873.

By March 5, some 1,615 patients had been registered under the home-based care programme while 494 had been hospitalised countrywide.

Of those admitted, 67 were in intensive care units (ICU), 35 were on supplemental oxygen, 24 on ventilatory support and eight under observation.

Another 17 patients were also on supplemental oxygen, all of them in general wards.

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