NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 11 – The number of COVID-19 cases in the country on Thursday continued to rise with the positivity rate hitting 13 per cent amid jitters over a potential escalation virus containment measures to tame a third wave.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said 829 cases were picked from 6,329 samples analyzed within a period of 24 hours in a status update a day before President Uhuru Kenyatta briefs the nation on whether the current containment measures will be lifted or eased.
“From the cases 775 are Kenyans while 54 are foreigners. 490 are males and 339 females. The youngest is a one-year old baby while the oldest is 87,” Kagwe stated.
At the same time 91 patients recovered from the disease, raising total recoveries to 87,994.
One more patient succumbed to the disease, pushing the country’s COVID-19 fatalities to 1,899.
The Ministry of Health said there were 566 COVID patients admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 1,694 patients were on home based isolation and care.
“91 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 22 of whom are on ventilatory support and 60 on supplemental oxygen. 9 patients are on observation,” he stated.
Kenya is still enforcing the COVID-19 protocols including a dusk-to-dawn curfew which is due to lapse on Friday.
There were reports that President Kenyatta would likely extend the measures or impose even more stringent ones to suppress the third wave of coronavirus.
CS Kagwe on Wednesday, while meeting with the Council of Governors, emphasized the need to exercise extra caution noting the third wave would be more severe.
“As you are aware that the third wave has been experienced in other parts of the word including Europe with devastating effects and our hope and prayer as a nation is that this is not we are going to experience in our nation,” he Kagwe.
The Governors also called upon President Uhuru Kenyatta to ban political gatherings for a period of 30 days so as to stem the spread of COVID-19 with the third wave on the horizon.
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