Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi on Thursday, April 23 announced that over the preceding 24 hours, 17 Kenyans had tested positive for Covid 19, with 2 in intensive care unit (ICU).
This raised the number of confirmed cases in the country to 320 over a month since the first case was reported on March 13, 2020.
The CAS informed that 668 samples had been tested in 24 hours, with 6 having recovered from the virus. Nairobi county had the largest number of tested samples at 478.
Fortunately, the number of deaths related to Covid-19 remained at 14.
Fifteen of the 17 new cases were persons who were picked by the ministry's surveillance team, with all of them being Kenyans. Two people were from the nationally designated quarantine facilities.
Of the confirmed cases, Mwangangi stated that there were 9 males and 8 females. Mombasa County recorded 12 of the cases while Nairobi County recorded 5.
The CAS advised members of the public to take the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, warning of a greater danger if they continued to defy the given national directives.
With a majority of the latest cases in the country being Kenyans picked up by surveillance teams, the CAS warned that community transmission was on the rise.
Mwangangi commended local innovative efforts across the country aiding in the fight against Covid-19.
"We are glad Kenyans are taking handwashing measures seriously," Mwangangi acknowledged, but also pointed out that Kenyans had depended more on the use of sanitisers than soap and water.
She informed that the government was engaging various stakeholders to help cater for bills of persons in quarantine facilities who are unable to afford the costs.
Acting Health Director-General Patrick Amoth stated that the government was fast-tracking efforts of testing individuals quarantined after they are nabbed during the curfew.
