Kenya’s COVID-19 death toll nears 4000, positivity rate at 18 per cent
Kenyans might be required to prepare for tough times ahead as a sharp spike in the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths continue to rise.
In the last 24 hours, the country reported a total of 1,006 new infections from a sample size of 5,584 posting a worrying positivity rate of 18 per cent.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Ministry of Health, the total confirmed positive cases now stand at 199,941 while the cumulative tests so far conducted are 2,109,581.
At the same time, 13 patients succumbed to the virus, all of them being late deaths reported after conducting facility record audits on diverse dates in the month of July.
This now pushes the cumulative fatalities to 3,895.
A total of 261 patients have recovered from the virus, with 228 from various health facilities countrywide while 33 are from the home based isolation and care programme.
The total recoveries now stand at 187,824 of whom 149,788 are from the home based care and isolation program, while 38,036 are from various health facilities countrywide.
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Further, a total of 1,386 patients are currently admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 3,686 are under the home-based isolation and care program.
Some 174 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 41 of whom are on ventilatory support and 82 on supplemental oxygen.
On the ongoing vaccination, the latest data shows that a total of 1,692,793 shots have so far been administered across the country. Out of these, total first doses are 1,052,343 while second doses are 640,450.
“The uptake of the second dose among those who received their first dose is at 60.9 per cent with the majority being males at 55 per cent while females are at 45 per cent. Proportion of adults fully vaccinated is 2.35 per cent,” said the Ministry.
Meanwhile, the UK will donate 817,000 Covid-19 vaccines to boost Kenya’s vaccination programme.
The announcement was made as President Uhuru Kenyatta met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“The two leaders will toast the huge strides made in the last 18 months on the Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership, just as the UK reinforced its support on Covid-19 with the vaccine donation. The Oxford-AstraZeneca doses–half through a direct bilateral donation, and half through a UK donation to the Covax facility–will be shipped from the UK to Kenya as soon as possible in the coming days,” British High Commission said.
