Kenya's coronavirus cases reach 13,353 as 603 more test positive
What you need to know:
- The ministry further announced 682 more recoveries, raising the total number to 5,122.
- The country's death toll increased to 234 as another nine patients succumbed to the disease.
- Nairobi County accounted for the highest number of the new cases at 441.
- The city was followed by Kiambu with 44, Mombasa with 22, Nakuru with 17, Kilifi with 10 and Machakos and Kisii with six infections each.
The Health ministry on Sunday announced 603 more cases of the coronavirus, raising Kenya's tally to 13,353.
This number arose from the testing of 5,724 samples in the last 24 hours, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said in a statement.
The cumulative number of samples tested in Kenya since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in March rose to 243,887.
The ministry further announced 682 more recoveries, raising the total number to 5,122, and nine more deaths, raising the fatality county to 234.
Of the patients who recovered, 562 were under home-based care while 120 were in hospitals.
Mr Kagwe noted infections are still rising so the public must not drop their guard in the fight against the virus.
“We continue to appeal to our people to carry on with the precautions and other containment measures we have shared with you,” he said.
CASE DISTRIBUTION
The ministry said the youngest of the new patients was seven months old and the oldest 86, and that 361 of them were male and 242 female.
Nairobi County accounted for the highest number of the new cases at 441.
The city was followed by Kiambu with 44, Mombasa with 22, Nakuru with 17, Kilifi with 10 and Machakos and Kisii with six infections each.
Makueni recorded five cases, Murang'a three and Nyeri two while Kakamega, Kericho, Kisumu, Kwale, Lamu, Narok, Tharaka-Nithi and Uasin Gishu had one each.
In Nairobi, Langata and Westlands reported 43 cases each, Dagoretti North 38, Starehe 34, Kibra and Ruaraka 33 each, Embakasi East 28 and Makadara 26.
Roysambu had 25, Embakasi South, Embakasi West and Kasarani 23 each, Embakasi North 21, Kamukunji 20, Dagoretti South 15, Embakasi Central nine and Mathare four.
In Kiambu, Kikuyu, Ruiru and Thika had 10 cases each, Kabete and Kiambu Town four each and Juja, Kiambaa and an unnamed location two each.
OTHER COUNTIES
In Mombasa, the 22 cases were in Mvita (11), Jomvu (4), Changamwe (3) and Likoni and Nyali (two each) while in Nakuru, Naivasha had 15 cases and Nakuru West two.
In Kilifi, Kilifi South had eight cases and Kilifi North two while in Machakos, Athi River had five and Masinga one.
All of Kisii's cases were in Kituti Chache South while Makueni's were recorded in Kibwezi West (3) and Kibwezi East (2) and Muranga's in Gatanga, Kandara and Kihara, which had one infection each.
Nyeri's two case were in Nyeri Central, Kakamega's in Lurambi, Kericho's in Ainamoi, Kisumu's in Kisumu Central, Kwale's in Lungalunga, Lamu's Lamu West, Narok's in Narok West, Tharaka-Nithi's in Chuka and Uasin Gishu's in Kapseret.
TESTING
Meanwhile, the government is facing a crisis over a shortage of testing kits and reagents.
Kenya now has 20 operational laboratories approved by the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board.
The labs are Kemri Wellcome Trust Kilifi, Kemri Kisumu, the parastatal's Nairobi labs in its HIV lab, Centres for Disease Control and its headquarters, and Aga Khan University Hospital.
Others are Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Walter Reed in Kericho, Lancet, Coast General Hospital, and the National Public Health Laboratories Services.
