Kenya is 38 cases shy of hitting 2,000-mark on coronavirus tally after 74 more people tested positive over the past 24 hours.
In a daily update on the infection curve, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Dr Rashid Aman (above) said that the ministry tested 1,574 samples out of which 74 more people turned out to be having the virus. The country has now recorded 1,962 positive cases. 78,536 people have now been tested so far.
Dr Aman called on Kenyans to continue obeying the health safety rules put in place by the government to avert any sporadic rise in infection or new cases. He warned against the laxity of observing the rules stating that “daily rise demands a response” on the part of the people to normalise the curve and reduce the cases.
“The behaviour of the infection curve is dependent on our behaviour as a people,” he said.
Of those who tested positive, 55 were male while the remaining 19 were female. Those who tested positive for virus fell within the age bracket of 3 years for the youngest and 79 years for the oldest. Nairobi and Mombasa continue to post higher figures and as of now remain on top of the list as high-risk areas.
The CAS said that the country lost a patient in Kayole, Nairobi, to the disease. This brings total Covid-19 deaths to 64. The facilities also discharged 14 patients making the number of recoveries to climb to 474. So far 34 counties have registered cases of Covid-19.
In reference to the outbreak of the virus in prison facilities, Dr Aman said the health ministry was engaging prison facilities to put up restrictions to reduce possibilities of the spread of the virus.
“We have advised and correctional facilities have stopped visits by family members…to prevent the spread of the virus, “he said.
He also noted that the government had earmarked informal settlements like Nairobi's Kibra estate as the hotspots of the disease due to the squalid conditions making it harder to observe the safety measures.
He said: “These are areas of real concern for us as a ministry to move and try to contain those who are infected…We are watching these areas keenly.”
He disclosed that the government had disbursed Sh1 billion on economic stimulus plan which involved funding Kazi Mtaani project which had employed over 26,000 youth. Alongside this is the funding of Inua Jamii which he said will target the elderly in the society to cushion them from the impacts of the Covid-19.
As the world marks World No Tobacco Day, Dr Aman took the opportunity to caution smokers by telling them to be vigilant during the coronavirus pandemic. He said that smokers are more vulnerable to severe forms of Covid-19 infections hence the need to be extra careful.