Covid-19: Kenya cases rise to 320 after 17 more test positive

Health ministry has confirmed 17 more cases of Covid-19 on the 42nd day since the first case was announced, bringing to 320 the number of infections in the country.

Health Chief Administration Secretary Dr Mercy Mwangangi said all new cases are Kenyans, 15 of whom were picked by surveillance teams. Two were in quarantine facilities.

The CAS said of the 668 samples tested in the last 24 hours, Mombasa County accounted for 12 of the new cases and Nairobi County five.

Six patients have also recovered and been discharged, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 89.

Dr Mwangangi urged the public to adhere to government’s outlined measures aimed at curbing the spread of the diseases, especially handwashing and social distancing.

She warned against overreliance on hand sanitisers, calling on Kenyans to prioritise handwashing.

Other measures the government imposed includes movement restrictions, countrywide curfew and forced quarantine.

The ministry said it has noted with concern stigmatisation of Covid-19 patients and those placed under quarantine.

“We want to make it clear today, that contracting Coronavirus is not a crime. All of us have a potential risk of contracting the disease. That is why we have come up with measures and guidelines, to ensure we all are able to avoid contracting the disease,” Dr Mwangangi said.

“Being quarantined is neither a detention, nor a punishment. Quarantine is meant to serve the greater public good, which is public health. We must therefore stop stigmatising those sent to quarantine facilities and even those who have recovered from the disease.”

The Health ministry has also warned public service vehicles (PSVs) flouting the public health guidelines.

“As we continue with this fight, we have observed that some PSV are defying social distancing regulations, and are increasingly sliding back to the old ways of conducting business…that action shall be taken against any matatu found carrying more than the recommended number of passengers,” she said.

STATISTICS

The coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019.

Since then, it has quickly spread across the world and infected at least 2,658,764 people, according to Worldometer's tally on April 23.

The total number of deaths was 185,439 and that of recoveries 729,982 as of April 23, while the number of active cases stood at 1,743,343, with three per cent or 57,981 of them being critical and the rest mild.

Worldometer's count showed that the number of closed cases was 915,421, with 80 per cent or 729,982 being the number of recoveries or those discharged.

In Africa, the number of infections was 26,841 and the deaths 1,246.

-Additional reporting by Nasibo Kabale