Covid-19: Kenya records highest 24-hour death toll as 1,216 more test positive

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe. [File, Standard]

Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to pose a serious challenge in the country after 26 people succumbed to the disease in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health has revealed in a statement.

 This is the highest daily death toll in a day, and it comes just hours after the country posted another double-digit fatality on Tuesday when 24 people died.

The figure takes the country’s total number of deaths to 1,180 at a period that the government is leading a crackdown on those who dare flout Covid-19 rules.

The total caseload has also stretched to 65,804 after 1,216 people tested positive for the disease over the past 24 hours, in a sample size of 6,816. This, therefore, means that the country has now tested 760,775 samples and is almost closing in on one million cumulative tests.

Kenyans continue to be the leading casualties of the fresh infections, with 1,174 of them accounting for the new infections while the remaining 42 were foreigners. 726 total daily infections were men while 490 were females. Eleven-month old baby and 99-year-old person were among those who were found with the virus.

In terms of the distribution of the virus, Nairobi and Mombasa led at 439 and 250 cases respectively, accounting for more than half of the daily fresh infections.

The distribution in other counties are as follows: Kilifi (63), Kiambu (59), Taita Taveta (52), Nyeri (41), Laikipia (32), Kisumu (30), Kajiado (24), Kakamega (24), Siaya (20), Machakos (19), Bungoma (17), Meru (14), Nandi (11), Tana River (10), Garissa (9), Homa Bay (8), Kisii (8), Nakuru (6), Kirinyaga (5), Murang’a (3), Elgeyo-Marakwet (2) and Turkana (1). Naynadarua, Nyamira, Trans-Nzoia, Kwale, Migori, West Pokot and Makueni all had one case each.

Healthcare workers continue to also shoulder the burden of the infections. The data from the ministry indicates that 23 healthcare workers have died of the virus while the number of infection among the medics stands at 2,148 since the outbreak began in the country.