Covid-19 third wave: Drastic measures to resume if cases continue rising

Some 1,540 new Covid-19 cases have been confirmed today after testing 9,348 samples.

Speaking at Afya House, Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi (pictured) said the country's caseload now stands at 124,707. The positivity rate in the past 24hrs has moved to 16.5 percent.

Dr Mwangangi added that Kenya has lost 18 people to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, with one death reported in the last hour ahead of the media address. The fatalities now stand at 2,066.

She stated that Nairobi's contribution to the positivity rate is 57.7per cent, warning that if the situation persists, more stringent measures may have to be put in place.

From the new cases, 1,446 were Kenyans and 94 foreigners, while the youngest was a six-month-old infant and the oldest aged 110.

Nairobi county had the highest number of positive cases with 865, followed by 139 in Nakuru, 82 in Machakos and Kiambu's 76 among others.

The country's recoveries today stand at 9,770 after 95 patients recovered from home-based care and 89 from various health facilities.

According to Dr Mwangangi, 141 patients are in ICU while 34 are on ventilatory support.

She called for more adherence to containment measures, warning that hospitals are full and there is significant unavailability of ICU beds.