Kenya's Covid-19 cases reach 88,380 after 396 more test positive

The Health ministry on Sunday reported 396 new Covid-19 infections in Kenya, after testing 4,717 samples in the past 24 hours, raising the number of declared cases since the first one in March to 88,380.

In a statement, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe also reported that eight more patients had succumbed to the virus, raising the death toll to 1,526.

He said the number of recovered patients in Kenya had risen by 397 to 68,929 and that 318 of them were treated at home and 79 in hospital.

Nairobi accounted for 154 of the new infections, Kiambu 40, Busia 31, Bungoma 30, Mombasa 23, Murang'a 19, Nakuru and Garissa 14 each, and Kakamega 12.

Nyeri followed with eight, Kirinyaga seven, Kisumu and Vihiga six each, Laikipia and Migori five each, Makueni and Embu four each, Meru three, Kajiado, Machakos, Kericho and Narok two each, and Kilifi, Kisii and Uasin Gishu one new case each.

Admission figures

Of the 396 new patients, 373 Kenyans and 23 foreigners whereas 254 were male and 142 female. The youngest one was two years old and the oldest 85.

CS Kagwe said that 1,178 people had been admitted at health facilities countrywide while 8,113 were under home-based isolation and care.

He reported that the number of patients in intensive care units (ICU) had risen to 86, from the 76 reported on Saturday. Of those in ICU, 36 were on ventilator support and 49 on supplemental oxygen.

Sixty six patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 58 of them in general wards and eight in high dependency units (eight).

The disease was first reported in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019 and in Kenya on March 13.

By December 6, Kenya had tested 931,799 samples for Covid-19.