854 Kenyan healthcare workers have tested positive for Covid-19 - Dr Patrick Amoth

854 Kenyan healthcare workers have tested positive for the novel Covid-19 virus, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

Director General Patrick Amoth noted that 450 of the infected medics are male and 404 are female.

The DG further elaborated that the number accounts for almost 3% of the Kenya's total case load.

"This puts the positivity rate among healthcare workers at 2.9 per cent which is fairly ow compared to the general global average of 10 per cent. Of course one infected healthcare worker is one too many so we will continue to work with them to ensure there are adequate PPEs and we have done capacity building," Dr Amoth reported.

Ministry of Health Director General Patrick Amoth during a recent press briefing on Covid-19 situation in Kenya Ministry of Health Director General Patrick Amoth during a recent press briefing on Covid-19 situation in Kenya Pulse Live Kenya

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Dr Amoth also confirmed that Kenya has lost a total of 15 healthcare workers to the disease since the death of Dr Adisa Lugaliki.

How Kenya will know its Covid-19 curve is flattened?

Alongside Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi, the ministry officials elaborated on a formula that will be used to indicate if indeed the Covid-19 curve in Kenya has been flattened.

"We've been getting continuous questions on where we are on the curve so we shall be giving information on that with focus on a key area in defining the epidemiological curve of a disease and this is the case load and the positivity rate," Dr Mwangangi explained.

The CAS went on to explain that the positivity rate, calculated after comparing Kenya's case load (about 30,000) with the tested sample size, stood at 7.9%.

"Over the last 34 weeks, this positivity rate has steadily increased from an initial two per cent. Which indicates an increase in the rate of transmission.

"Global benchmarks from the WHO tell us that when a country records a positivity rate of at least 5 per cent or lower over a period of 14 days then it has gotten to a period where it is flattening the curve," the CAS explained.