Kenya’s confirmed Covid-19 cases have risen to 963 after 51 more people tested positive for the virus from the 1,993 samples tested in the preceding 24 hours.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe during the daily Covid-19 briefing on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, at Afya House stated that 22 more people had been discharged after recovering, bringing the total recoveries to 358.
The CS further revealed that no person succumbed to the virus, maintaining the Covid-19 death toll in the country at 50.
Of the confirmed cases 19 are female while 32 are male, aged between the years of 2 and 63.
Kagwe noted that a majority of the infections were of people between the ages of 20 and 39, with 62 percent of the infections being males and 38 percent female.
“These are called mosquitos. They carry and infect. I want to urge young people to stay safe from the virus and consider the people around you,” he stated.
CS Kagwe stated that the Ministry was in the process of increasing testing capacities in laboratories across the country in a bid to increase the reach.
He, however, argued that the country could not move around and test every individual. He argued that the Ministry was doing more of target testing, in which they narrowed down on Covid-19 hotspots. Kagwe urged members of the public to present themselves for testing.
16 of the confirmed cases were from Namanga, 1 from Loitoktok, however, 5 truck drivers had tested positive and were turned back to Tanzania. Garissa recorded 2 more positive cases, who had crossed into the country from neighboring Somalia.
The CS extended gratitude to Nyumba Kumi leaders who had aided the ministry in locating suspected Covid-19 cases in the country. He urged them to step up the effort in curbing the virus.
CS Kagwe revealed that in the course of the pandemic, 224 truck drivers have tested positive for the virus at border points, out of which 182 are foreigners and were denied entry into the country.
The health CS reiterated that the government had deployed mobile testing centers at border points in the country, most recently Naivasha, following the use of the dry port in the region.
He answered to reports alleging that truck drivers from Tanzania had been kept waiting for days at the border despite having legal documents to access the country, stating that the country was determined to ensure that any person afforded clearance is negative for the virus.
Though highlighting Mvita as a grave area of concern, the CS commended the efforts by Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho in fighting the pandemic in the region.
He, however, noted that the county had recorded more Covid-19 deaths than any other in the country despite having almost 100 cases less than Nairobi.
Mombasa has the highest rate of Covid-19 deaths recording 27, followed by Nairobi 20, Siaya, Bomet, and Kiambu have 1 fatality each.
“This is why we have been explaining that people must not be kept at home. The rising deaths in Mombasa are essentially people dying at home. I want to urge you if people are not feeling well please take them to hospital,” Kagwe stated.
