The number of Covid-19 patients in Kenya is nearing 7,000 with the country still hurtling towards its peak. 268 people have tested positive in the last 24 hours out of a sample size of 2,704, bringing the number of cases so far t 6,941. Cumulative samples tested so far are 176,059. Out of the new cases, 259 are Kenyans while 9 are foreigners, with 160 males and 108 females. The youngest patient is 1 year old while the oldest is 80. 20 patients have been discharged from different health facilities, with recoveries now at 2,109. However, 3 people have succumbed to the disease, with the number of deaths rising to 152.
Nairobi County still leads in the number of cases, with infections being reported widely in the different Counties. Of the new cases, Nairobi County has 175, Mombasa County has 28, Busia County has 18, Kiambu County has 11 cases, Kajiado County has 9, Migori County has 9, Uasin Gishu has 8, Machakos County has 6, Narok has 2 cases, Makueni has 1 case, same to Murang’a County.
Speaking to the press during the Covid-19 briefing on Thursday, Health CAS Rashid Aman called attention to the rising burden on people living with non communicable diseases, given that the majority of people who’ve succumbed to the Coronavirus had underlying health conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease in the world, with about 6.1 million adults in Kenya living with the disease. “Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of people living with non communicable diseases and hence the Ministry in collaboration with the County governments has put up measures to ensure that non-communicable disease clinics remain operational during this period,” he said.