Covid-19: Kenya’s caseload rises to 32,364 after 246 more infections

Kenya’s coronavirus caseload reached 32,364 on Sunday, with the recording of 246 new cases after analysis of 4,179 sample in the last 24 hours.

Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe also reported that 217 more patients had been discharged from treatment, 178 of them at home and 39 in hospitals, raising the total number of recovered patients to 18,670.

The country’s death toll rose by six to reach 548.

Of the new patients, all but eight were foreigners, 157 male and 89 female, and the youngest a year old and the oldest 87.

The 4,179 samples raised the number tested in Kenya so far to 421,983.

Nairobi accounted for 78 of the cases, Kajiado 24, Kiambu 22, Nakuru 20, Busia and Trans Nzoia 17 each, Machakos 16, Kirinyaga 12, Kisii 11 and Kisumu eight.

Mombasa recorded six cases, Embu three, Garissa and Nyeri two each, and Nyamira, Kakamega, Isiolo, Kitui, Kericho, Murang’a, Kilifi and Tharaka-Nithi one each.

Many cases

Kenya and Ethiopia have the highest numbers of Covid-19 cases in the region and Kenya has been fighting local transmission of the disease since officially declaring that there were no more imported cases.

Like other countries, it keeps reviewing measures to curb the virus, including a nationwide curfew, limited travel and the suspension of learning until January 2021, when the infections curve is expected to have flattened.

Regarding learning, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for safe re-opening of schools as extended stays are affecting children and households in several other ways.

The United Nations agency has also condemned corruption in the procurement of personal protective equipment for health workers, saying it puts their lives at risk, is criminal and must be stopped.