Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Thursday, May 28, announced that 147 individuals had tested positive for COVID-19 over the preceding 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 1,618.
Speaking during the daily COVID-19 briefing in Kiambu County, the CS stated that 2,831 samples had been tested during the period bringing the total samples tested in the country to 70,172.
He further revealed that of the new cases, 87 were male and 60 female, with the youngest being a one-year-old infant and oldest being 87 years of age.
13 COVID-19 patients were discharged over the same period after recovering from the coronavirus, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 421.
The CS disclosed that all of the cases were Kenyan and noted that an additional 3 deaths were recorded raising the total to 58.
The cases were spread out as follows; Nairobi (90), Mombasa (41) and Kiambu (3). Other counties include Nyeri (2) and Uasin Gishu (2) while Kiajiado, Embu, Muranga and Narok recorded one each.
While giving the address, the CS noted that Kiambu was just the second county in the Ministry of Health’s quest to assess the county’s preparedness noting that 32 of the 47 counties had recorded positive cases.
“The ministry has facilitated the training of healthcare workers in the county including the people who will be operating the ventilators in Kiambu County,” he stated.
He further pointed out that primary healthcare facilities were important and urged Kenyans to observe cleanliness practices beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
“An additional 100 healthcare workers in various cadres are expected to be hired in your county,” he told Kiambu County Governor James Nyoro.
Also speaking at the event, Nyoro disclosed that the county had improved hospital facilities with up to 300 beds available.
He stated that the region tested 509 samples, 39 of whom tested positive since the pandemic hit the country.
He further noted that 1,200 community volunteers had been trained against a target of 5,000 while 200 more health workers had been hired.
“We require a radiology department,” he stated in an appeal to the National Government noting that the county had a 14-bed ICU facility.
