Positivity rate has risen from 17 per cent to 17.5 per cent, says Mwangangi
Health Chief Administrative Secretary Dr Mercy Mwangangi has today said that 1,354 more have tested positive to the Covid-19 bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 118,889 .
The youngest being a seven-month infant while the oldest is 100 years.
In a press briefing, Mwangangi said that the rising cases of infection indicates that Kenyans have lowered their guard.
“We must go back to the basics which include washing of hands, wearing of masks among others to curb further spread of the virus,” she said.
She said that the positivity rate has risen from 17 per cent to 17.5 per cent.
Further, she said that the country should continue following the Covid-19 protocols to ensure that the virus is contained even as schools are closed.
The CAS said that the country will consider reintroducing stringent measures to curb the situation if the current trend does not improve.
“We have seen in situations wherein other countries, complete lockdowns have started getting effected again. And I am sure would not like to see a return to more stringent measures but this is more likely to happen should the situation not improve.”
According to Mwangangi, the number of patients who have been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit(ICU) has increased to 123, compared to 114 yesterday.
Also, 148 patients are on supplemental oxygen with 17 of them being in the High Dependency Unit.
830 patients are admitted to various health facilities in the country, while 2,332 are on home Based Isolation and Care.
28 people have succumbed to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours in Kenya pushing the total number of fatalities to 1982.
She said that the ongoing vaccination is strictly following a priority list that includes healthcare workers, teachers, security agencies.
All the people in these cadres can be vaccinated anywhere the exercise is going on as long as they produce documents to identify themselves.
“Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has directed that the elderly and vulnerable particularly those 60 years and above be included in the priority list for those being vaccinated when we get our next consignment of vaccines,,” noted Mwangangi.
