Covid-19: Kenya records 86 new cases, positivity rate of 3.1pc

Covid in Nairobi

A bus attendant checks a passenger’s temperature and offers hand sanitiser, part of measures for preventing the spread of Covid-19, at the Kencom stage in Nairobi on May 11, 2021. 

Photo credit: Jeff Angote | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Meanwhile, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa reached 4,677,798 as of Saturday noon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.


Kenya’s number of confirmed Covid-19 cases on Sunday rose by 86 to 165,465 following the analysis of 2,789 samples for the disease in the past 24 hours.

This resulted in a positivity rate of about 3.1 per cent, the Health ministry said in a statement, adding the country has conducted 1,744,393 tests so far.

Of the new patients, 84 were Kenyans and two foreigners, 44 female and 42 male, the youngest seven months old and the oldest 96 years.

Nairobi County accounted for 27 of the cases, Uasin Gishu and Kilifi eight each, Mombasa seven, Busia, Migori, Kisii and Homa Bay four each, Kericho and Machakos three each, Laikipia and Embu two each, and Kiambu, Kisumu, Makueni, Murang’a, Nakuru, Nandi, Taita Taveta, West Pokot, Kajiado and Elgeyo Marakwet one each

The coronavirus was first confirmed in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019 and in Kenya on March 13, 2020.

As of Sunday, the CS said, Kenya’s death toll had reached 3,003 while the number of recoveries was 113,612.

He said the two deaths occurred over the last one month and that 123 more patients had recovered, 65 of them at health facilities countrywide and 58 under home-based isolation and care.

CS Kagwe further said that 1,030 patients had been hospitalised by Sunday, 109 of them under intensive care units (ICU). Of those in ICU, 24 were on ventilator support, 70 on supplemental oxygen and 15 under observation.

Another 81 patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 76 of them being in general wards and five in high dependency units (HDU).

The number of patients in the home-based care programme stood at 4,815.

Africa summary

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa reached 4,677,798 as of Saturday noon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialised healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union, said the death toll from the pandemic stood at 125,890 while 4,232,974 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt were the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the Africa CDC.

In terms of the number of cases, southern Africa was the most affected region, followed by northern Africa and eastern Africa regions, while central Africa was the least affected region in the continent, according to the agency.

South Africa has recorded at least 1,608,393 Covid-19 cases, the most among African countries.

Morocco is so far the second African country to pass the 500,000 Covid-19 infections mark. The country had registered 514,705 Covid-19 cases as of Saturday noon.