25 new corona cases push count closer to 1,000 mark

Kenya could hit the 1,000 mark of Covid-19 cases this week after 25 more people tested positive for the virus, raising the number to 912. 

Though fewer than the 57 cases reported on Sunday, the new infections showed how the virus is spreading across the country, with cases recorded in Meru, Taita Taveta and Garissa.

Almost 100 Tanzanians have tested positive barely a week after Kenya made it mandatory for truck drivers to be tested before entering the country.

Tested positive

The spillover of these cases has been seen after six truck drivers tested positive in Kajiado County. The sick came from Namanga, a town at the border of Kenya and Tanzania.

During the daily updates released by the government yesterday, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman said 53 truck drivers tested positive for the virus at various border points. Out of these, 51 are Tanzanians while the remaining two are Burundi nationals.

“All were referred back to Tanzania,” said Dr Rashid.

But despite the high number of Tanzanians testing positive, the CAS was keen to maintain diplomatic ties that are already strained with the closing of the Kenya-Tanzania border, even as he noted that there is risk of spillover.

“These results indicate there is a level of threat from the Tanzania side,” he said. “We, however, have to understand that every country chooses how to respond to the disease. The best we can do is put measures so that we reduce on importation of cases.”

Rashid said one of the measures is to increase the country’s testing capacity, especially at the border.

“The problem we may have with Tanzania is that we do not have a functional laboratory along the border. We will be setting one up,” he said.

There is a laboratory in Busia County, which borders Uganda, and if it is overwhelmed, the samples are transported to Kisumu.

While Kenya has been recording more cases locally, it has also witnessed increased numbers from Tanzania since May 9 when four cases were confirmed.

This number then went up to 23 on May 13, down to eight on May 14 only to go back up to 12 on May 17 and 51 on May 18.

These positive cases from Tanzania make up part of the 44,851 samples tested by Kenya.

The government had earlier projected that the country would hit the 1,000 mark by mid-April and 10,000 by the end of the same month.

Officials have lamented the shortage of testing kits and reagents that have hampered the testing process.

The most samples tested in a day stand at 2,198, which saw the highest number of Covid-19 cases ever recorded in the country at 57.

The death toll in the country still stands at 50 while recoveries have increased by 22 to 336.