Kenya reports 1,554 new Covid-19 cases, 14 more deaths
Members of the public wait to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus disease at St Teresa's Girls in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on May 24, 2020.
The Health ministry Friday reported 1,554 new Covid-19 infections in Kenya, raising the country's number of declared infections to 81,656.
Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said in a statement that the new patients were found after analysis of 9,389 samples tested in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of samples tested so far to 870,950.
Kenya announced its first cases of the coronavirus disease on March 13, about three months after it originated in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019.
Mre Kagwe also announced that 14 more patients had died, raising the death toll to 1,441.
He said another 599 had recovered, raising the total to 54,125, and that 476 of them were under the home-based care programme whereas 123 were treated in hospital.
The youngest of the newly infected patients was five months old and the olders 97, while males numbered 950 and females 604. All but 28 of them were Kenyans.
Case distribution
Nairobi accounted for 546 of the cases, Mombasa 159, Kilifi 153, Kiambu 96, Kericho 68, Meru 45, Kisumu 44, Nakuru 37, Bomet 33, Kakamega 32 and Machakos 30.
Kajiado recorded 29, Nyandarua 27, Busia and Nyeri 25 each, Kisii 24, Uasin Gishu 22, Siaya 18, Lamu 16, Murang'a 15, Laikipia 14, Kitui 13, Samburu 12, Taita Taveta 11 and Isiolo 10.
Trans Nzoia had nine new patients, Bungoma seven, Nandi and Embu six each, Makueni five, Turkana and Kwale four each, Vihiga three, Homa Bay and Marsabit two each, and Baringo and Nyamira one each.
The ministry said 1,200 patients had been admitted as of Friday, 72 of them in intensive care units, and that 7,521 were under home-based care.
Of those in ICU, 41 were on ventilator support and 30 in supplemental oxygen.
Another 93 patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 68 of them in general wards and 25 in high dependency units (HDU).
Fake certificates
CS Kagwe, who held a consultative meeting in Mombasa County with the National Assembly and Senate Health committees, also addressed the ongoing crackdown on fake Covid-19 certificates at points of entry into Kenya.
"Our port health officials are alert ... anyone contravening protocols will face the law," he warned.
The committees discussed the Health Laws (Amendments) Bill, National Health Insurance Fund (Amendment) Bill, Kenya National Blood Transfusion Bill, Nationals Aids Control Council (Amendment) Bill, Pharmacy and Poisons Board (Amendment) Bill and the Emergency Medical Care Policy.
CS Kagwe noted that the gathering marked the beginning of a review of laws and policies that will help Kenya transform its healthcare system, in line with article 43 of the Constitution and the Universal Health Coverage goal.
