Kenya Covid cases exceed 204,000 as death toll hits 3,970

Covid burial

Public health officials carry the body of of a man who died of Covid-19 to his grave at Antuanthenge village in Meru County on August 25, 2020.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • CS Kagwe announced 591 new infections from a sample of 4,737 analysed in the last 24 hours, placing the positivity rate at 12.5 percent.

Kenya on Monday reported the deaths of 24 more Covid-19 patients, raising the toll to 3,970.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe explained, however, that they were all late death reports confirmed after the audit of facility records in May, June and July.

Kenya confirmed its first case of the disease on March 13, 2020 and had by Monday declared 204,271 infections.

CS Kagwe announced 591 new infections from a sample of 4,737 analysed in the last 24 hours, placing the positivity rate at 12.5 percent and the number of tests conducted thus far at 2,142,309.

Photo credit: Nation Media Group

The youngest new patient was 10 months old and the oldest 87 years whereas 575 were Kenyans, 16 foreigners, 316 male and 275 female.

Nairobi County accounted for 422 of the new cases and was followed by Mombasa with 34, Kiambu 19, Uasin Gishu 17, Garissa 14, Murang’a 10, Kirinyaga and Nyeri nine each and Busia seven.

Narok recorded six cases, Kajiado, Laikipia, Machakos and Kakamega four each, Baringo, Mandera, Embu, Nakuru and Nyandarua three each, Siaya and Kisii two each, and Homa Bay, Kericho, Kilifi, Kitui, Meru, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot one each.

CS Kagwe further reported that another 561 patients had recovered from the disease; 469 of them under home-based isolation and case and 92 in hospital, raising the total to 189,692.

Photo credit: Nation Media Group

As of Monday, 1,483 patients had been admitted to health facilities countrywide while 4,021 were being treated at home. Of those hospitalised, 189 were under intensive care, 45 of them on ventilator support, 93 on supplemental oxygen and 51 under observation.

Another 461 patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 419 of them in general wards and 42 in high dependency units.

So far, the ministry said, 1,726,937 vaccine doses have been administered across the country - 1,064,500 first doses and 662,437 second doses.

The uptake rate of the second dose was 62.2 percent, with the recipients listed as 204,789 people aged 58 years and above, 115,647 health workers, 96,026 teachers, 52,868 security officers and 193,107 ungrouped individuals.

The proportion of fully vaccinated adults was 2.4 percent.