796 test positive, 89 percent are asymptomatic

Health CAS Dr Mercy Mwangangi on Thursday revealed that Kenya had recorded 796 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

This takes the national tally to 15601 cases. Out of the 796, 503 are male while 293 are female.

However, Dr Mwangangi stated that 89% of the new cases are asymptomatic, a sign that the person standing next to you might be positive.

Asymptomatic patients rarely show any symptoms and Dr Loice Ombajo, Head of Infectious Disease Unit at KNH, on Wednesday said most asymptomatic patients rarely need treatment.

Speaking during an interview on a local TV station, Dr Ombajo stated that the most common symptoms of the virus include cough, fever, loss of taste, loss of smell, sore throat, running nose etc.

She, however, cautioned about self-medication saying if the symptoms get out of hand it is important to seek medical care.

“Drinking some water with lemon and ginger is not harmful. They offer some relief to a sore throat and a running nose.

“If they have a headache or mild fever they can take Panadol or Paracetamol but people should not self-medicate by buying all manner of drugs over the counter,” she said.

Adding: “If you have symptoms that are bothering you beyond what you can handle it is important to get medical care so that you are given the right medication.”

On Thursday, Kenya recorded 378 more recoveries, taking the number of total recoveries to 7135.

Unfortunately, three patients succumbed to the virus and the number of fatalities has now risen to 263.