The country has recorded the highest number of Covid 19 infection in a day after 66 new cases were confirmed pushing the total figures beyond the 1000 mark.
The fresh infections now brings the national tally to 1,029 as the National Emergency Response Team extended the cessation of movement in Nairobi’s Eastleigh Estate and Old town in Mombasa until the 6th of June.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, said the 66 cases were detected from at least 2621 samples tested in the last 24 hours
In order to contain the spread of the virus “We have observed with concern the highest number of cases today “, the CS said adding that the malls, eateries and restaurants in the said two places will also remain closed and hawking in those areas prohibited.
64 of the cases today are Kenyans while one is a Rwandese national and another one a Somali, aged between 10 and 64 years and their gender distribution are 43 males and 23 females, he added,
Kagwe however said that 8 people have recovered and discharged while no death has occurred.
Notwithstanding the growing infections, the CS noted that the country has been able to keep the case fatality at 5.6 percent against the global average of 6.6 percent .
He said that Mombasa today has 30 cases, Nairobi has 26, Kajiado has 3 while Nakuru, Busia, Kisii, Meru, Kirinyaga, Makueni and Uasin Gishu counties have recorded one case each.
In Mombasa the cases are distributed in the Likoni which has 10, Kisauni 8, Changamwe 3, Nyali 3, Jomvu 3 and Mvita 3.
In Nairobi, the new cases were recorded in Kibra 15, Langata 3, Starehe 2, Dagoretti 2, Westlands 1, Eastleigh 1, Mathare 1 and Dandora 1.
Kajiado cases are from point of Entry and also for the one in Busia. The other cases are in Makueni from Emali, Kirinyaga from Kutus, Meu from Gitimbine, Nakuru from Naivasha and Uasin Gishu from Bombasi.
Meanwhile, the Country has acquired two mobile laboratories and testing kits from Germany to help fight Covid-19 at the namanga border point and also Naivasha dry port.
The CS while thanking the German government through the EAC noted that in the last month, there has been a rise in the COVID 19 cases detected among truck drivers at various border points.
“The EAC secretariat has overseen the procurement of mobile lab units, training of laboratory experts to operationalize these units and are scheduled to cascade knowledge transfer in order to build a critical mass of scientists across the country.
The government, CS Kagwe said recognizes the truck drivers and their counterparts in the transport industry for their continued support to ensure that there is adequate supplies of goods across the East African countries and for enduring long journey and waiting times at border points as each each country tries to be vigilant in their containment measures against COVID.
To address these challenges, the CS said the country has put in measures to ensure that the truck drivers are tested on time prior to their journey and receive a repeat test 14 days later.
“The mobile labs are equipped with modern equipment such as PCR and ELISA machines that are able to diagnose most pathogens causing communicable diseases such as Ebola and COVID 19. I am aware they have a combined capacity to support 2,000 tests per day and couldn’t have come at a better time to complement existing laboratory network”, he added.
Kagwe thanked the people through the Germany Development Bank for availing finances for the project, the Bernardt Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine (BNITM) for their technical assistance, the Ministry of East Africa Community (EAC) for coordination and the EAC Secretariat who have worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this project.
By Wangari Ndirangu
