Covid-19 positivity rate declines to 8.8pc as 561 test positive

Kenya’s Covid-19 positivity rate declined to 8.8pc Wednesday after 561 new cases were reported from a sample size of 6,387 tested in the last 24 hours, bringing to 89,661 the number of confirmed positive cases in the country.

In a statement, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe also reported that seven more patients had succumbed to the virus, raising the death toll to 1,552.

He said the number of recovered patients in Kenya had risen by 355 to 70,194 and that 274 of them were treated at home and 81 in hospital.

The cumulative tests are now 945,323. From the cases, 539 are Kenyans while 22 are foreigners. In terms of gender 387 are males and 174 females, the youngest being one-year-old baby, while the oldest is 87.

Nairobi accounted for 189 of the new infections, Mombasa 85, Bungoma 65, Busia 36, Kericho 19, Kiambu 19, Kwale 19, Kisumu 17, Embu 13, Kilifi 12, Nakuru and Lamu 11 each.

Other counties are Uasin Gishu and, Marsabit nine, Kakamega seven , Nyeri and Kirinyaga six each followed by Machakos and Laikipia four each and Kajiado three.

Murang’a, Homa Bay, Turkana, Makueni and Tana River counties recorded two cases each whereas Taita Taveta, Nyandarua, Elgeyo Marakwet, Vihiga, Meru Siaya and Trans Nzoia had a case each.

Kagwe reported a slight decline in the number of patients hospitalised from 1,102 to 1,096.

8,016 are on Home Based Isolation and Care. 63 patients are in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 32 of whom are on ventilatory support, 26 on supplemental oxygen while five are on observation.

Another 71 patients are separately on supplementary oxygen out of whom 63 are in the general wards and another eight are in the High Dependency Unit.