Record 781 coronavirus patients recover as Kenya cases hit 25,837
What you need to know:
- Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe also reported a record 781 more recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 11,899, and five more deaths, raising the death toll to 418.
- Six hundred and fifty of those discharged received treatment at home while 125 were in various health facilities.
- Mr Kagwe noted that no deaths had been reported among people in the home-based care programme.
The Health ministry on Saturday announced 699 more cases of Covid-19 in Kenya following the testing of 7,175 samples in 24 hours.
This raised the country's caseload to 25,837 since March 13, when the first case was confirmed, and the total number of samples tested to 349,307.
Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe also reported a record 781 more recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 11,899, and five more deaths, raising the death toll to 418.
Six hundred and fifty of those discharged received treatment at home while 125 were in various health facilities. Mr Kagwe noted that no deaths had been reported among at least 7,600 people in the home-based care programme.
He said 675 of the new patients were Kenyans and 24 foreigners living in the country while 427 were male and 272 female. The youngest patient was a year old and the oldest 85.
MANY CASES
Kenya's cases have shot up by between 600 and 700 daily, with increased cases of community transmission and all of the county's 47 counties have recorded cases of the virus.
Of the new cases on Saturday, Nairobi accounted for 414, Kajiado 81, Kiambu 54, Machakos 36, Nakuru 21, Uasin Gishu 15 and Laikipia 11,
Mombasa and Busia recorded nine each, Bungoma seven, Kericho six, Kisii five, Homa Bay four, Bomet, Garissa, Meru, Migori and Nandi three each and Kisumu, Murang'a, Nyandarua and Taita Taveta two each.
Marsabit, Siaya and Trans Nzoia each had one case.
While reiterating the seriousness of the illness, CS Kagwe gave the example of a man who was tested and confirmed to have the virus but refused to accept the diagnosis because to him it did not exist.
"He ended up infecting his sister and a parent. As we speak, this family has lost an elderly family member, the head of the household, just two weeks after losing the mother," he said during the daily briefing on the pandemic, which he gave at Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
He warned the public against disregarding guidelines for taming the virus, saying it can be controlled and deaths prevented.
TESTING
Asked about testing facilities, CS Kagwe said there were 32 across the country and that more would be opened.
He said testing was not being done in all counties due to the unavailability of items such as reagents but that the government was looking into solutions to ease the burden for counties and individuals seeking to know their results.
Health Services acting Director-General Patrick Amoth noted that people being tested were those who had met case definition criteria by exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus, key among them being a fever, dry cough, tiredness and difficulty breathing.
High risk groups and the contacts of patients were also being tested due to their exposure to the virus.
Dr Amoth said, "Africa as a continent is having challenges in testing as our kits are manufactured in the West and the Far East."
But he noted that Kenya was among the top 10 most efficient countries in Africa in terms of testing.
COUNTY UPDATE
CS Kagwe led Health ministry officials in a tour of Kakamega County to examine measures taken to boost the fight against the coronavirus.
In his address on the county's preparedness, Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said Kakamega had three ambulances for contact tracing and about 4,000 community health volunteers trained in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society.
Mr Oparanya also said the public was being educated on basic anti-virus measures such as wearing face masks, sanitising or washing hands and maintaining healthy diets.
He reported that Kakamega had allocated Sh105 million to the fight against the virus and that it had an extra Sh262 million, in the form of a conditional grant from the national government, which was yet to be spent for reasons including protocols.
Kakamega has also launched toll free number 0800 720 573 for the public to use to report cases and access hospitals and other facilities for treatment.
Mr Oparanya further said that 26 doctors, 171 nurses, 13 clinical officers had been contracted for help with the fight against the deadly virus.
The Health ministry has visited several other counties in different regions, including Makueni, Machakos, Mombasa and Nakuru.
