Kenya confirms nine more infections bringing tally to 225

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe in a daily update of the coronavirus at Afya House, Nairobi. [Standard]

Nine more people have tested positive for coronavirus bringing the national tally to 225, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Another 12 have been discharged to bring the total number of recoveries to 53, while one person has succumbed to the disease.

Kenya's death toll is now at 10.

In his daily update of the status of the coronavirus in Kenya, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the government tested 803 samples in the past 24 hours, of which nine turned positive.

Five of the cases are in Nairobi County and four in Mombasa.

All the nine cases are Kenyans who neither had travel history nor were admitted at any quarantine facility.

They are aged between nine and 69 years.

According to Kagwe, the Health Ministry has monitored 2,336 people who came in contact with positive cases. 1,911 have since been discharged while it is following up on 456 cases.

Kagwe has re-emphasized the need for using face masks and sent a warning shot to some sectors of the economy not adhering to the guidelines especially the Boda boda sector.

Don’t celebrate yet

The CS said he is surprised by the section of Kenyans who are celebrating the numbers being reported, saying, “We are not out of danger. To those celebrating our figures, note that our 4.6 per cent death rate is within the global range of 6.3 per cent.”

He added: “At the time we are at now, some countries who are experiencing serious issues had not started testing as we have done. The projected figures depend on what we do and are based on worst-case scenarios.”

He was also concerned with cases where Kenyans were uncooperative.

“I am deeply perturbed to see a section of Kenyans not cooperating with the police. This is akin to inviting anarchy,” said Kagwe.

He appealed to Kenyans to continue observing State guidelines seeing as some, for instance, the dusk to dawn curfew has borne fruits of limiting the virus spread.

Kagwe: “The curfew has some advantages. Less movement means less contact and therefore fewer infections.”

The ministry has also put some counties on notice where the virus seems to be spreading faster.

As such, the CS said the government has dispatched health officials to Siaya County today, who are currently examining the status of isolation facilities in the county, sensitizing locals and delivering supplies for medical staff in the region.

Medical aid

Kenya has received two consignments of medical supplies from the Jack Ma Foundation and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“We have received a total of some 18,900 swabs and viral transportation medium and 18,912 extraction kits from the Jack Ma Foundation,” Kagwe continued.  

Yesterday, Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi announced that the government would roll out 12,000 kits for mass testing across the country.

Nairobi, Mombasa, Siaya and Mandera counties were identified as pioneers for the upcoming mass testing.

The four counties were singled out because of their risk factors, with the ministry further narrowing down on specific areas and institutions located in the regions.

In Nairobi, the exercise will be conducted in the Kibera slums and all the quarantine and isolation centres.

In Mombasa, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) staff will undergo testing.  “We will be sending 1,000 test kits to KPA based on the risk of transmission identified by our monitoring teams,” said Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi.

Test kits will also be sent to Siaya and Mandera counties, with the latter recording six cases, among them a person who had travelled from Mombasa County.