NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 1 –The Ministry of Health reported 685 coronavirus cases in the country on Sunday from 4,433 samples analyzed over a 24-hour period.
The country’s positivity rate stood at 15.5 per cent, a marginal decline form 18.3 per cent reported on Saturday.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said 1,271 active cases were still under management in various hospitals across the country.
Kagwe also revealed that there are 53 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit including thirty on ventilatory support and twenty-two on supplementary oxygen.
“Forty-six patients are separately on supplementary oxygen but not in the ICU while 17 are in High Dependency Unit,” he added.
The country’s recovery toll rose to 37, 194 after 231 more people recovered from the disease.
Kagwe also said seventeen fatalities had been recorded raising the COVID-19 death toll to 1,013.
The reported increase in infections is key agenda of an intergovernmental meeting slated for Wednesday. President Uhuru Kenyatta who is set to chair the summit on Sunday appealed for strict adherence to COVID-19 containment measures.
He warned that the government’s decision will be dependent on behavioral patterns in curbing the spread of the disease.
Kenyatta who was speaking during the celebrations of the Anglican Church of Kenya’s 50th anniversary will chair the 6th Extraordinary session of the National and County Governments on the COVID-19 situation in the country to discuss mitigating measures.
Kenya started recording an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases last month with October 31 reporting the highest number of positive cases of up to 1,395.
The Ministry of Health has since sounded an alarm over the spike in the number of infections with Health CS Kagwe on Thursday noting that the country was experiencing its second wave.