Kenya: Hope for Kenya as 9 More COVID-19 Patients Discharged

Nairobi — Nine more COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospital Thursday, raising the number of recoveries in Kenya to 375.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said there is hope of recovery for more patients, attributing it to the dedication of healthcare workers.

The death toll stood at 50 Thursday, the latest victim being James Waswa Wetangula, a brother to legislators Moses Wetangula (Bungoma Senator) and Tim Wanyonyi (Westlands MP).

He was buried in Bungoma on Wednesday, at a ceremony attended by only 60 people, among them the two leaders. Waswa was Wanyonyi’s Personal Assistant.

Kagwe urged Kenyans to heed the government’s protective measures to help flatten the curve, which is has been rising sharply since last week.

On Thursday, Kenya recorded 80 new infections raising the total number of cases to 1,109.

“I am pleading with you to take this matter seriously because as you can see the numbers are rising by the day,” he said.

Public health officials are projecting the peak for COVID-19 in August or September.

Dr Patrick Amoth, a Director-General of Health at the Ministry of Health, said the country will likely record up to 200 cases a day.

The 80 new cases announced on Thursday were spread in Mombasa (20), Nairobi (41), Siaya (7), Kwale (6), Garissa 3), and one in Taita Taveta.

Kagwe said the cases reported in Siaya were on mourners from Nairobi’s Kibera slum, who obtained a fake permit to attend a burial, only for all the seven to turn positive.

“The Siaya story is a sad one because the departure point of that case is in Kibera. Somebody in Kibera, without the authority to travel, signed a document that was respected by police all the way to Siaya. The mourners. themselves were positive,” he said.

Public health officials have commenced contact-tracing for the mourners, both in their journey origin in Kibera and Siaya where they were attending a burial.

Since Wednesday, Kagwe said 3,102 people had been tested, out of which 80 were confirmed to have the virus.

“The trend demonstrates that the larger the sample size, the more the cases,” he said.