Kenya records zero Covid deaths as vaccines dry up
Kenya has for the first time since the third wave hit the nation recorded no Covid-19 death in the last 24-hour period, data from the Ministry of Health shows. The total fatalities now remain 3,428.
However, within the same span of time, the country has reported 485 new positive cases from a sample size of 5,355 tested, posting a positivity rate of 8.1 per cent.
Nairobi County continues to lead with the number of new infections with 119, followed by Homa Bay 68, Siaya 61, Kisumu 48, Mombasa 28, Busia 24 and Kakamega 19.
Health Ministry said Covid-19 recoveries have risen by 312 to 121,206. Of these, 219 were from home based care while 93 were from health facilities within the country.
A total of 1,076 Covid patients are hospitalised by as of June 16, with 102 of them being under intensive care. Of those in the ICU, 29 were on ventilatory support, 60 on supplemental oxygen and 13 under observation.
Read also: COVID-19: Africa caseload surges past 5 million, vaccines barely moving
Another 115 patients were separately on supplemental oxygen, 110 of them being in general wards and five in high dependency units.
Meanwhile, Kenya has run out of COVID-19 vaccines as uptake of the second dose rises sharply, with many of those who had received first jabs unable to get their due booster shot.
Kenya had in March, received it’s first batch of 1.02 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and rolled out the second dose of vaccines after receiving 142,000 doses from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The nation is currently banking on a donation of about 350,000 vaccine doses from Denmark to give the campaign a lifeline.
The Ministry of Health has since requested people due for the second dose to be patient insisting that as was the case with the first dose, doctors and other health workers will be given priority.
The reassurance by health ministry comes just after the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) took to their social media page to lament being turned away at facilities.
“We are getting messages to go get the vaccine done at various facilities, however when we get there, the jab is not available” talks in every facility. Could we please get clear communication on the STATUS of the vaccine?”
According to the Health Ministry, 1,155,745 people had received the Covid-19 jab by Wednesday, June 16. Of these, total first doses are 991,184 while those receiving second doses are 164,561.
“The uptake of the second dose among those who received their first dose is at 16.6 per cent with the majority being females at 56.4 per cent while males are at 43.6 per cent,” the CS said, adding that less than 1 per cent of Kenyans are fully vaccinated.
