Covid-19: 141 test positive as Ministry warns against relaxing protocols

Another 141 people tested positive for the coronavirus, from a sample size of 3,307, taken in the  last 24 hours.

Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi announced on Thursday that Kenya now has a total of 37, 489 confirmed cases, since the onset of the disease in March.

This comes even as the Ministry has cautioned against a creeping relaxation by Kenyans on the given Covid-19 protocols, amid gains made to flatten the curve.

"We have noticed that many people have started to ignore the Covid-19 protocols in recent weeks, hence why we are launching the change in approach today," the CAS said.

Dr Mwangangi believes that the approach, which she explained is being rolled out as behaviour change communication, will help curb the relaxed habits.

"While gains have been made, we have to ensure that we don't go back, we don't engage a second wave," she warned.

Statistically, all confirmed cases are Kenyans with exception of seven foreigners.

103 are males while 38 are females.

Kenya has also reported 81 new recoveries, sixty-nine of whom were discharged from various hospitals across the country and 12 from the home-based care programme.

Total recoveries now stand at 24, 334, which the CAS noted as 65 per cent vis-a-vis the cases.

Sadly, some five patients have succumbed to the disease, raising fatalities to 669.

The CAS was speaking at the Thika Level Five Hospital in Kiambu County, joined by Governor James Nyoro who made an appeal to the National Assembly to speed up the process of the Revenue allocation formula so that health workers are able to receive their salaries.

Nyoro reflected on the gains the County has made, saying that there has been a decline in the number of cases because of the containment measures put in place.

"We will continue to test an average of 100 samples every day. We aim to have an additional 250 beds by end of October," he said of the developments, adding that this should bring the bed capacity to 880.

Kiambu County has recorded 106 Covid-19 fatalities. It is also among the leading counties in Kenya with the most reported cases.

It was the second time the County was playing host to the Health Ministry, in a tour to ascertain the level of preparedness of counties in fighting the pandemic.