Covid-19 positivity rate at 9.3 percent after 431 test positive

A microbiologist with a tube of biological sample contaminated by Coronavirus.

Kenya reported 431 new Covid-19 cases out of a sample size of 4,627, bringing the cumulative caseload during the pandemic to 113,236 out of 1,369,326 tests conducted since March 2020 when the first case was reported.

With a positivity rate of 9.3 percent as Kenya faces the third wave of infections, five patients succumbed to the disease pushing the cumulative fatalities to 1,913, the Ministry of Health reported Sunday.

A further 114 are in the ICU; 24 of whom are on ventilator support and 76 on supplemental oxygen in various health facilities countrywide, according to the ministry.

14 patients are on observation while 2,080 are on home-based isolation and care. 50 recoveries were reported from the non-hospitalized Covid-19 patients with 29 drawn from various health facilities. Total recoveries now stand at 88,405.

Warning of rising positivity rate, President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, March 12 highlighted the need for containment in a raft of measures to stem the third wave of infections. Uhuru extended overnight curfew for 60 days and banned political and large social gatherings for 30 days.