NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8 – Fourteen people including an 11-month-old baby have tested positive for coronavirus out of 922 samples analyzed in 24 hours raising the number of confirmed cases in the country to 621.
The oldest of the new patient is a 49-year-old, the Ministry of Health indicated in a press briefing on Friday.
“The spread of the cases by estates is; four (4) are from Kasarani, two (2) from Makadara, and one each from 5 Umoja 1, South C, Irigu in Dagoretti South, Machakos and mandatory quarantine. The three in Mombasa are from Likoni while the one case in Machakos is from Athi River,” he said during a press briefing Friday.
Aman, however, announced five patients had been discharged bringing the total recoveries to 202.
“These are achievements that we must celebrate. This would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of our healthcare workers. I want to thank them for their courage and spirit of patriotism,” he noted.
The CAS reiterated the need to wash hands, maintaining social distancing and adherence to measures outlined by the health ministry while asking the general public to avoid stigmatizing patients who have been discharged after recovering from the virus.
“I want to appeal to Kenyans to receive warmly and celebrate those who have recovered from Covid-19. We should not stigmatize them,” he said
Aman said the ministry is working with seven county governments on way to come up with ways to prevent the spread of coronavirus among people displaced by floods.
“The displaced people have been forced to congregate in makeshift camps, with the risk of banding together which exposes them to the possibility of contracting the virus,” he said.
In line with an earlier directive requiring all truck drivers be tested before embarking on travel, Aman said the Ministry of Health is expanding testing capacity countrywide in order to test cross border drivers at the point of origin.