Nine more test positive for coronavirus bringing toll to 25

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A blood sample which has tested positive for Coronavirus. 1,344 more people have tested positive for the disease/COURTESY

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 25 after nine more people tested positive for the virus.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe says the confirmed cases spread out in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale Counties.

“Out of the nine confirmed cases seven are Kenyans while two are foreigners, and of the seven Kenyans, three have contracted the virus from close contacts of previously confirmed cases while the four others have contracted the same from countries that are affected with the virus,” said CS Kagwe.

The new patients have already been taken into isolation in government facilities and are being monitored together with others previously turned positive.

The government continues to trace those who came in contact with the new and previous cases.

“The total number of close contacts that we have so far been monitoring stands at 745. Out of this number, 98 of them have been discharged after completing the 14 day follow up period. We now have remaining 647 contacts that our tracing teams are monitoring,” said the CS.

15 people are currently admitted at Mbagathi hospital waiting test results.

All the patients are doing well except two elderly men, however, the CS said the two are not doing so badly.

“The one in Kilifi, we actually flew a ventilator for them yesterday and from the report I got this morning is that the Frenchman is doing well,” said CS Kagwe.

“We think we might have some good news, but we don’t want to start announcing things and end up going backwards, but keep your fingers crossed,” he added.

High risk areas

So which are the high risk COVID-19 areas in the country?

“On the High risk areas we have identified indeed, certain counties that we feel.. and indeed the four counties that I have counted Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, we have always felt that these counties have got extra exposure. And we have also taken measures in those counties to create extra capacity, an extra response mechanism..” said CS Kagwe

The mentioned counties have put stringent measures in place to mitigate the spread of the virus including: closure of open air markets, places of worship, salons and barbershops; banned boda-boda operations, among others.

The government on Tuesday received 25,000 testing kits for the coronavirus from Chinese Business Magnate Jack Ma., which the Health CS says will go a long way in helping fight this disease.

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