Kenya records 1,609 new Covid cases as positivity rate rises
A man receives Covid-19 jab. Kenya has yet again recorded a high number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 after 1,609 new infections were reported on December 17, 2021.
Kenya has yet again recorded a high number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 after 1,609 new infections were reported Friday from a sample size of 7,176 tested in the last 24 hours.
At the same time, the positivity rate shot from 16.3 per cent to 22.4 per cent with the cumulative confirmed cases in the country now standing at 260,166.
Of the new cases, 1,512 are Kenyans while 97 are foreigners, with 877 being female and 732 male. The youngest new patient is a one-year-old child while the oldest is 84 years. The total cumulative tests conducted so far are 2,915,257.
Nairobi County leads in the number of new infections with 853 cases followed by Kiambu with 158, Nakuru 113, Kericho 97, Mombasa 54, Kajiado 33, Kitui 32, Kisumu 29, Machakos 28, Murang’a 22, Uasin Gishu 22, Kwale 21, Kakamega 19, Narok 18, Trans Nzoia 14, Kirinyaga 13, Siaya 13, Embu 10, Tharaka Nithi 9, Nyeri 8, Kilifi 7, West Pokot 6, Meru 5, Busia 5, Makueni 4, Garissa 3, Isiolo 3, Baringo 3, Nyandarua 3, Laikipia 2, Bomet 1 and Vihiga 1.
During the same duration, 38 patients recovered from the disease, 35 from the home-based isolation and care programme while three were from various health facilities countrywide. Total recoveries now stand at 249,192, of whom 201,108 are from the home-based care while 48,084 are from various hospitals countrywide.
Deaths
Three deaths were also recorded over the 24-hour period, all of them being late deaths reported after conducting facility record audits in the month of December 2021. This now pushes the cumulative fatalities to 5,353.
According to a statement from Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, 186 patients are currently admitted to various hospitals while 2,639 are under the home-based isolation programme.
Nine patients are in intensive care units, three of them on ventilatory support while six are on supplemental oxygen.
Mr Kagwe further announced that another 41 patients are on supplemental oxygen with 40 of them being in general wards and one in the high dependency (HDU).
As of Thursday, a total of 8,665,288 vaccines had been administered across the country. Of these, 5,181,626 were partially vaccinated while those fully vaccinated were 3,483,662.
The uptake of the second dose among those who received their first dose was at 56.7 per cent while the proportion of fully vaccinated adults was 12.8 per cent.
