NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 22 – The Ministry of Health on Monday reported 1,130 COVID-19 cases from a sample size of 5,119 tested within a period of 24 hours.
The cases translated to a positivity rate of 22.1 per cent, the highest reported since the year begun.
Nairobi County accounted for 730 cases, with the ministry sounding a warning on the rising cases which may strain the healthcare system.
“Our facilities may be overstretched but not overrun, on Jan 22, we had 27 cases in ICU. Yesterday, we had 121 patients in ICU, more on ventilatory support. On Jan 22 we had 1553 patients, now we have 2545. We can easily get discouraged. I want to assure Kenyans that we are still striving to get adequate ICU and isolation beds,” Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said.
Kagwe also said another 12 patients had succumbed to the disease, raising country’s COVID death toll to 2,023.
At the same time, 754 patients recovered from the disease; 708 from the home based program and 46 from various health facilities.
Total recoveries stood at 90,376.
There were 1,013 COVID patients admitted in various health facilities, while 3,003 patients were on home based care.
Kagwe reported 40,359 frontline workers had been inoculated countrywide out of 530,000 doses distributed.
The CS also issued a warning to health facilities administering the AstraZeneca jab to individuals who are not frontline service providers.
“We must not administer to those not prioritized as vaccines are not yet available for all. Should we receive information to the contrary, we may have no alternative but to consider punishing such facilities, including suspending or revoking practice licenses,” he said.