Covid-19: Kenya’s positivity rate drops to 15.5pc

The number of confirmed Covid-19 infections in Kenya increased by 1,561 to 209,823, the Health ministry announced on Friday. Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the positivity rate had dropped from the 17.4 per cent recorded the previous day to 15.5 per cent.

 This followed the analysis of 10,072 samples within 24 hours, raising the number of tests carried out so far to 2,176,118.

Mr Kagwe said the youngest new patient was a one-month old infant while the oldest was 98 years old. Out of the new infections, Kenyans were 1,495 while 66 were foreigners out of which 803 were male and 758 female.

Nairobi County topped in the number of infections lead with 674 of the new infections and was followed by Kiambu 144, Mombasa 74, Murang’a 44, Uasin Gishu 32,Kajiado 29, Homa bay 27, Kisii 23, Nandi 22, Lamu 22,Nyeri 20,Baringo 19, Kericho 18, Embu 17, Nyandarua 13, Meru 11, Garissa 9, Migori 9, Laikipia 9, Makueni 9, Bomet 8, Taita Taveta 7, Kitui 7, Siaya 5, Tana River 5, Isiolo 4, Kakamega 4, Bungoma 4, Narok 3, Marsabit 2, Vihiga  2, Tharaka Nithi 1 and Elgeyo Marakwet 1.

 The CS further announced 31 more deaths, one in the last 24 hours, while 30 were confirmed after an audit of facility records in April, May, June and July, raising the death toll in Kenya to 4,088.

The CS also reported that another 102 patients had recovered from the disease, 91 from health facilities while 11 were under home-based isolation and care, raising the total to 195,787.

 By Friday, CS Kagwe said, 1,576 patients were hospitalised across the country, while 5,834 were registered under the home-based isolation and care programme.

 Of those in hospital, 108 were in intensive care units — 46 of them on ventilator support, 55 on supplemental oxygen and seven under observation.

 Another 554 patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 521 of them being in general wards and 33 in high dependency units.

 By Thursday, 1,768, 519 vaccine doses had been administered across the country. People who had received the first dose were 1,084,013 while those who had received their second doses were 684,506.

 The uptake rate of the second dose was 63.1 per cent, with the majority of the recipients being male (55 per cent). The proportion of fully vaccinated adults was 2.5 per cent.

Among those who had received their second doses were 210,894 people aged 58 years and above, 118,554 health workers, 99,544 teachers, 54,746 security officers and 200,768 ungrouped individuals.