Kenya's coronavirus cases rise to 22,053 after 690 more test positive

Covid-19 mass testing in Eastleigh

A health worker writes on a sample of a specimen bottle while a resident of Eastleigh, Nairobi, waits to be tested for the coronavirus during a mass testing exercise on May 20, 2020. 

Photo credit: Simon Maina | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe further reported that 58 more patients had been discharged from hospitals and home-based care programmes.
  • Of the 690 new cases, Nairobi accounted for 535, Kiambu 56, Kajiado 28, Nyeri 24, Busia nine, Machakos seven, Nakuru and Kisumu six each, and Embu and Garissa  four each.
  • The total number of samples tested in the country since March 13, when the first case was announced, rose to 315,723.

Kenya's coronavirus cases continued to increase sharply on Sunday with the Health ministry's announcement of 690 more infections.

The new patients - 681 Kenyans and nine foreigners - were found following the testing of 5,393 samples in the last 24 hours.

This increased the country's caseload to 22,053.

The total number of samples tested in the country since March 13, when the first case was announced, rose to 315,723.

The youngest of the new patients was six months old and the oldest 83, while males were 492 in number and females 198.

RECOVERIES, DEATHS

In a statement with the daily update on the pandemic, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe further reported that 58 more patients had been discharged from hospitals and home-based care programmes.

This raised the total number of recovered patients to 8,477.

CS Kagwe said five more patients had died, raising the toll to 369.

CASE DISTRIBUTION

So far, Samburu is the only one of the 47 counties in Kenya not to have a case of the coronavirus.

Of the 690 new cases, Nairobi accounted for 535, Kiambu 56, Kajiado 28, Nyeri 24, Busia nine, Machakos seven, Nakuru and Kisumu six each, and Embu and Garissa  four each.

Laikipia and Narok each had three new patients while Meru, Mombasa, Nyandarua, Bungoma and Kwale had one each.

In Nairobi, Westlands had 63 cases, Lang'ata 44, Dagoretti North and Dagoretti South 43 each, Embakasi East 40, Starehe 38, Kamukunji 32 and Makadara 30.

Embakasi South recorded 29, Kasarani 27, Kibra 25, Embakasi West 23, Roysambu 21, Embakasi North 20, Embakasi Central 19, Ruaraka 19 and Mathare  19.

In Kiambu, Ruiru had 15 cases, Gatundu south 12, Kikuyu 11, Limuru six, Kiambu Town four, Kiambaa three, Juja and Kabete two each and Lari one.

OTHER COUNTIES

In Kajiado, Kajiado East has 18 new patients, Kajiado North eight and Kajiado Central two, while in Nyeri, all the 24 cases were in Nyeri Central.  

In Busia, seven cases were in Teso North and two in Matayos.

In Machakos, Athi- River accounted for five patients and Machakos Town and Yatta one each.

Nakuru's cases were in Naivasha which had four and Nakuru West which had two, while in Kisumu the six cases are in Kisumu Central (five) and Kisumu East.

Embu four cases were all in Manyatta, Garissa's in Garissa Town, Laikipia's in Laikipia West and Narok's in Narok North.

Meru, Mombasa, Nyandarua, Bungoma and Kwale's cases were in Imenti Central, Likoni, Kinangop, Webuye West and Msambweni, respectively.