1,506 new Covid-19 cases in Kenya, positivity rate at 15.3%

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday reported 1,506 new Covid-19 infections in Kenya, detected from a sample size of 9,840 tested in the last 24 hours.

CS Kagwe noted that the country's case load now stands at 224,400.

The positivity rate is now 15.3% with cumulative tests so far conducted at 2,278,763.

Distribution by county was: Nairobi 512, Kiambu 162, Nakuru 93, Mombasa 89, Nyandarua 88, Makueni 68, Machakos 64, Murang'a 47, Embu 45, Kajiado and Uasin Gishu with 41 cases each, Kirinyaga 32, Marsabit 25, Turkana, Garissa and Busia with 17 cases each, Nandi 15, Baringo 13, Meru 12, Bungoma and Nyeri with 10 cases each, Isiolo and Kilifi with 8 cases each, Lamu 7, Kisii, Kisumu and Narok with six cases each, Kitui, Tana River and Migori with five cases each, Kwale 4, Elgeyo Marakwet, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Mandera, Tharaka Nithi, Wajir, Samburu and Siaya with three cases each, Kericho and Taita Taveta with two cases each.

A total of 2,054 patients are currently admitted in various health facilities, while 8,408 patients are under Home Based Isolation and Care program.

One hundred and sixty-one patients are in the ICU, 86 of whom are on ventilatory support and 75 on supplemental oxygen with no patients under observation.

Seven hundred and eighty-three patients are separately on supplemental oxygen with 723 of them in general wards and 60 in High Dependency Units.

Deaths and Recoveries

The Ministry reported 1,538 new recoveries from Covid-19, 1,352 from the Home Based and Isolation Care program while 186 were from various health facilities.

Total recoveries are now 207,450 of whom 166,877 are from Home Based Care and Isolation program, while 40,573 are from various health facilities.

Twenty-four patients succumbed to the disease, one of them in the last 24 hours while 23 of them being late deaths reported after conducting facility record audits on diverse dates in the months of July and August 2021. This now pushes the cumulative fatalities to 4,378.

Vaccination

As of August 17, 2021, a total of 2,154,825 vaccinations had administered across the country. Total first doses being 1,393,905 while second doses are 760,920.

The Ministry of Health has reported an uptake of the second dose among those who received the first dose is at 54.6% with the majority being males at 55% while females are at 45%. Proportion of adults fully vaccinated is 2.8%

The uptake of the second dose by priority groups was reported as: 58+ years 232,616, others 224,250, health workers 128,298, teachers 113,094 while security officers are at 62,662.