COVID-19: Kenya records 1,506 new infections, 24 deaths
A total of 1,506 people have tested positive for COVID-19 from a sample size of 9,840 tested in the last 24 hours.
The country’s positivity rate is at 15.3 per cent, with total confirmed positive cases at 224,400 and cumulative tests so far conducted 2,278,763.
According to the ministry of Health, 1,538 patients recovered from the virus with 1,352 from the home-based isolation and care programme while 186 were discharged from various health facilities countrywide. Total recoveries stand at 207,450.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe, however, noted 24 patients succumbed to the virus, one of them in the last 24 hours while 23 are late deaths reported after conducting facility record audits in July and August 2021. This pushes the cumulative fatalities to 4,378.
The new cases were recorded across various counties namely; Nairobi 512, Kiambu 162, Nakuru 93, Mombasa 89, Nyandarua 88, Makueni 68, Machakos 64, Murang’a 47, Embu 45. Kajiado and Uasin Gishu recorded 41 cases each.
Kirinyaga county reported 32 cases, Marsabit 25, Turkana, Garissa and Busia each recorded 17 cases. Nandi 15, Baringo 13, Meru 12, Bungoma and Nyeri recorded 10 cases each. Isiolo and Kilifi 8 cases each. Lamu 7, Kisii, Kisumu, Narok 6 cases each. Kitui, Tana River, Migori five cases each.
Kwale has four cases, Elgeyo Marakwet, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Mandera, Tharaka Nithi, Wajir, Samburu and Siaya each recorded three cases while Kericho and Taita Taveta recorded two cases each.
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In a statement to newsrooms, President Kenyatta noted that “In particular, 18 counties have recorded a positivity rate above 20 per cent, and over the last week, the counties of Kiambu, Nyandarua, Murang’a, Makueni, Machakos, Baringo, Meru, and Nyeri have recorded a positivity rate of above 30 per cent.
CS Kagwe said that a total of 2,054 patients are currently admitted to various health facilities countrywide, while 8,408 are under the home-based isolation and care program. 161 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 86 of whom are on ventilatory support and 75 on supplemental oxygen.
“No patient is under observation. Another 783 patients are separately on supplemental oxygen with 723 of them in general wards and 60 in High Dependency Units (HDU).”
Meanwhile, over 2.1 million vaccines have so far been administered across the country with about 1.4 million being the first doses and over 760,000 the second doses.
The uptake of the second dose among those who received their first dose is at 54.6 per cent with the majority being males at 55 per cent while females are at 45 per cent.
The proportion of adults fully vaccinated is 2.8 per cent.
The uptake of the second dose by priority groups is as follows: aged 58 years and above 232,616; others 224,250; health workers 128,298; teachers 113,094; and security officers are at 62,662.
