34 health workers contract Covid-19 as cases rise to 621

About 34 frontline healthcare workers have tested positive for coronavirus, the Health ministry has said even as Kenya confirmed 14 new cases on Friday.

The new Covid-19 cases bring the total national tally to 621.

Ministry of Health Director General Dr Patrick Amoth said the healthcare workers, who make up 5.5. percent of the total cases, were tested while on the line of duty and some were off-duty.

“They have done quite well in terms of recoveries and we are glad that we haven’t had any mortality of a healthcare worker,” said Dr Amoth.

During the briefing, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman said 10 of the new cases are from Nairobi, three from Mombasa and one case from Machakos County. The ministry tested 922 samples in the last 24 hours.

The Machakos case brings to 19 the total number of counties with registered cases in the country. 

“Thirteen of the confirmed cases were picked up by our surveillance team, while one is from our quarantine facility,” said Dr Aman.

The confirmed cases are aged between eleven months and 49 years.

Five more patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 202.

During the briefing, Absa Bank, formerly Barclays, donated personal protective equipment (PPEs) worth about Sh15 million that includes 220,000 surgical masks and 10,000 N95 masks to be used by frontline healthworkers. This is in addition to Sh50 million it contributed to the Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund.

“We felt the need to make this donation because these PPEs are critical towards the fight of Covid-19 and will work to protect our workers from contracting Covid-19,” Absa Bank managing director Jeremy Awori said.