Three succumb to Covid-19 as 152 test positive in Kenya today

Some 152 people have tested positive of the coronavirus from a sample size of 2,213 in Kenya in the last 24 hours.

The total confirmed cases now stand at 106,125 with cumulative tests at 1,301,051..

In a statement from the Health ministry, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said 29 patients have recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total to 86,717.

Unfortunately, three patients have succumbed to the disease, pushing the total fatalities to 1,859.

Some 357 patients are admitted in various health facilities with 1,527 on home-based isolation and care.

From the new cases, 144 are Kenyans and eight are foreigners. The new cases comprise 83 men and 69 women.

The youngest is aged seven and the oldest 79.

Nairobi still leads with the number of new cases at 131, followed by Kiambu that had 10 cases, Machakos (four) and Kajiado (two), among others.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation is concerned that an initiative to supply poor nations with coronavirus vaccines cannot be accelerated because of the hoarding of the critical shots by well-to-do countries.

Covax (Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access), a programme headed by WHO that aims to supply 1.3 billion vaccine doses to poor and middle-income countries this year, has been slow off the ground.

Only two countries - Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire - have received batches of the vaccine under the plan.

But WHO is saying Covax risks falling behind its target due to competition for the vaccine doses by rich countries.

Speaking during a briefing on Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said while progress has been made in getting vaccines to states via Covax, the programme could not be accelerated if some countries approach vaccine manufacturers who are producing vaccines that Covax is counting on.

“These actions undermine Covax and deprive health workers and vulnerable people around the world of life-saving vaccines,” he said.

WHO said countries seeking their own Covid-19 vaccine doses and making deals with drug companies threatened the supply to poor and middle-income countries.

The health body had given itself the first 100 days of 2021 to distribute the vaccines but with 43 days left to go, a large number of countries are yet to get the vaccine. 

According to a distribution plan published by Covax Initiative, Kenya is in line to receive more than four million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine.

Kenya will receive enough of the vaccines made by the Serum Institute of India to immunise four per cent of the population (2,088,000 people). The vaccine requires two injected doses.