A 6-year-old baby on Thursday succumbed to Coronavirus marking the youngest death recorded in Kenya since the pandemic was first imported last month.
This comes as the country confirmed 12 more coronavirus cases, the total number rising to 122.
In a press briefing in Nairobi on Friday CAS in the ministry of health, Dr. Mercy Mwangangi said that number of COVID-19 deaths in Kenya has risen by 12, among them 11 Kenyans and a Somali national.
Dr Mwangangi said the 6 year old child who died at Kenyatta National hospital increased the number of people who have died of Corona to four.
“Eleven are Kenyans, one Somali national, this now brings the total number of those who have tested positive to this disease in the country to 122, the 12 people have already been moved into isolation, in our various health facilities.”Dr. Mwangangi said
“Contact tracing is ongoing. Up to date, we have been managed to test 1433 samples from individuals who have been quarantined,” she added
The CAS said that the 6-year-old died of Coronavirus amid other underlying conditions including pre-existing immune suppression which affects the bone marrow.
She pointed out that those who were in contact with the 6-year-old boy including staff at the Kenyatta national hospital will be isolated monitored and ultimately tested to determine if they contracted the disease.
The ministry said that 25 to 30 percent of the cases transmitted locally occur in clusters thus keep on bulging.
Meanwhile, the cabinet secretary in the ministry of trade Betty Maina launched personal protective gear and masks which will be used to combat Coronavirus in the country.
The CS said that the country is gearing up to locally produce 60 million masks, indicating that currently, one million masks are in supply across the country.
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She indicated that the gears will be subjected to scrutiny before given a clean bill of health for usage.
“The Kenyan textile industry, has risen up to the task is currently tasked to produce as many masks as possible, local textile industry is capable of producing medical gears.”Mrs. Maina said
“By today we have at least a million masks already in the distribution channels .”Mrs Maina said
Consequently, the ministry of health urged members of county assemblies and governors to assist the national government to combat the Coronavirus pandemic which is rocking the country.
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Currently, 223 people have died of the virus out of the 6,212 infections reported in 49 countries across Africa.
In Italy, 727 deaths have been confirmed over the last 24 hours alone, with the US recording 605 deaths over the same period.
