Kenya's Covid-19 Cases Exceed 69,000 as 1,080 More Test Positive

Members of the public, some masked to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus disease, are pictured on a street of Nairobi on October 27, 2020.

Jeff Angote | Nation Media Group

By Jill Namatsi, Online Sub-editor

Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe further reported 21 more deaths in Kenya in the same period, raising the toll to 1,249.

CS Kagwe also announced that 542 more patients had been declared cured, raising the total number of recoveries to 45,414.

Kenya now has 69,273 declared cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus disease, the Health ministry said Saturday, reporting 1,080 new infections after analysing 8,322 samples in the last 24 hours.

Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe further reported 21 more deaths in Kenya in the same period, raising the toll to 1,249.

CS Kagwe also announced that 542 more patients had been declared cured, raising the total number of recoveries to 45,414. He said 262 of them recovered in the home-based care programme while 280 were treated in hospital.

As of November 14, Kenya had tested a total of 783,304 samples for the disease, after confirming its first case on March 13.

58 in ICU

The ministry said 1,066 of the new patients were Kenyans and 14 foreigners, 687 female and 393 female, the youngest 11 months old and the oldest 100.

Overall, 1,185 of the Covid-19 patients in Kenya had been admitted by Saturday, 58 of them in intensive care units (ICU).

Of the 58, 23 were on ventilatory support and 30 on supplemental oxygen. Ninety were separately on supplemental oxygen, 75 of them in general wards and 15 in high dependency units (HDU). 

CS Kagwe said 5,794 people were under home-based isolation and care. 

County numbers

Two hundred and sixteen of the new infections were recorded in Nairobi, 163 in Mombasa, 103 in Nakuru, 64 in Kilifi, 60 in Baringo, 57 in Machakos and 56 in Kisumu.

Bungoma and Uasin Gishu each reported 41 new cases, Kiambu and Turkana 30 each, Migori 28, Busia 23, Kajiado 21, Kakamega 20, Kisii 18, Kericho and Nyamira 16 each, Nandi 15 and Nyeri and Tharaka Nithi 12 each.

Meru and Trans Nzoia counties each had eight new cases, Siaya five, Samburu four, Narok three, and Kirinyaga, Taita Taveta, Laikipia, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Vihiga, Kwale, Wajir, Elgeyo Marakwet and Bomet one each.

Doctors' concerns

Among the 21 people reported to have died over the last 24 hours were four doctors - Emarah Ashraf, Hudson Alumera, Jackline Njoroge and Faith Kanjiru Mbuba.

Following increasing cases of infections and deaths among frontline health workers, the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and and Dentists Union (KMPDU) asked them not to put their lives at risk.

KMPDU cited section 14(2) of the Occupational Safety Health Act, 2007, and said a Special National Advisory Council meeting will take place on Sunday.

The meeting, acting Secretary-General Chibanzi Mwachonda said in a statement Saturday, will discuss the way forward on the welfare and occupational safety of all doctors in Kenya.