NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 28 – Coronavirus cases have jumped to 38 in Kenya after the confirmation of seven new cases on Saturday.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the new cases include four Kenyans, 2 Congolese and a Chinese national.
“All the seven new cases are in Nairobi County which has a total of 28 as of today,” Kagwe told journalists during in his daily briefing from the Ministry of Health, “Kilifi has six cases, Mombasa 2, Kajiado and Kwale have 1 each.”
Kagwe, said the seven positive cases were among 81 people who were tested in various laboratories countrywide.
“Three are female and the four and males. Out of the seven, four had a history of travel from counties with active transmission. One had traveled to Mombasa while two did not have a travel history but came from contacts,” he said.
He said the first and third patients had tested negative in the initial two tests, and were set to undergo the third test in 24 hours.
“This is good hope because they have shown positive recovery and are responding well,” Kagwe said.
So far, Kenya has recorded one death from the Covid-19, after a 66-year-old man succumbed at the Aga Khan hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) last week.
From Sunday, the government is set to start mass testing on people on quarantine.
Out of the 1, 141 contacts whom the Ministry has been monitoring, 163 have been discharged after completing the 14-day mandatory quarantine period.
He said 978 close contacts are still being monitored with three individuals still admitted at Mbgathi Hospitals awaiting results.
The government has urged the public to observe high hygiene standards, as it implements a State Curfew declared by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The curfew that started on Friday has, however, sparked mixed reactions and condemnation after police resorted to whipping pedestrians and motorists found outside past 7pm.
Kagwe has warned that the trend of the rising cases was worrying, and urged Kenyans to strictly adhere to the regulations issued by the government, mainly social distancing and hygiene.
“If we want to avoid an outbreak, a change of behaviour is key. It is important for these rules to be followed if we want to avoid a total and a complete breakout,” he said.
He said it was laughable that Kenyans were demanding for a total lockdown in the country yet the already imposed state curfew was not being followed as required.
“Lockdown as a word can be very meaningless. People should follow what is required for the curfew to work,” he said.
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