Mombasa returns to top with 40 new COVID-19 infections

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Health CS Mutahi Kagwe at a past briefing. 1,185 more people have tested positive for the disease to raise national infections to 53,797./COURTESY

Mombasa county on Thursday accounted for 40 infections out of the 124 new COVID-19 infections nationally, topping the list again after Nairobi and Busia which recorded 38 and 26 new positive cases respectively.

Out of the 40, Mvita and Kisauni had 14 cases each while Changamwe recorded 11, health cabinet secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, said.

The 124 new cases were found out of 2,640 samples tested over the last 24 hours and brought the total national positive infections to 2,340.

119 of the positive cases were Kenyans, while Somali and Tanzania nationals were two each. One positive case was an Eritrean.

100 of the positive cases were male while 24 were female.

Four more people died from the virus over the 24 hour period bringing the total death toll to 78, Kagwe, said.

“We are happy to announce that we discharged 39 more people over the 24 hours and the total number of recoveries is now at 592,” CS Kagwe, told journalists in Nairobi.

So far 87,698 samples have been taken and tested across the country, with Kagwe saying that 36 counties had so far recorded positive cases.

The CS announced that the government had disbursed five billion shillings to all counties in the country to be used for equipping health facilities and personnel and enhance their capacity to fight the deadly virus.

He also cautioned police manning roadblocks, claiming that several truck drivers were managing to drive their trucks from Mombasa to the Busia border without COVID-19 test certificates, which are a mandatory requirement before they leave Mombasa.

“I don’t understand how a truck driver manages to pass through all the many roadblocks without this certificate unless they are colluding with the officers,” said the CS.

There has been an expectation that the curfew and movement restrictions in the country will be eased this week to allow for people to return to work, but Kagwe cautioned that it was not automatic as it will depend on the assessment of the virus spread and citizen behavior.

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