Kenya’s total number of confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus disease rose to 621 on Friday, with the announcement of 14 more positive test results.
Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rashid Aman said all the new patients were Kenyans and that 10 were from Nairobi.
He said Mombasa accounted for three of the cases and that Machakos County had recorded its first case of the disease, bringing the total number of affected counties to 19.
The new cases were recorded following the testing of 922 samples in the last 24 hours.
Dr Aman also announced that five more patients had been discharged after testing negative, raising Kenya’s total number of recoveries to 202.
Following complaints of stigma for recovered patients, the CAS appealed for understanding and warm receptions.
Dr Aman said 13 of the new cases were picked up by surveillance teams while one was from a quarantine facility.
In Nairobi, Kasarani had four cases of the virus, Makadara two and Umoja, South C and Irigu in Dagoretti South one each.
Mombasa’s case in Likoni while Machakos’ was in Athi River.
In terms of the age, the range for the new patients was 11 months to 49. Nine were male and five female.
The ministry also announced that 237 Kenyans returned from India on Thursday and that they were booked into hotels at the government’s expense.
CAS Aman said more arrivals from other countries, including China, would follow.
Kenyans who sought repatriation from China will not receive waivers for tickets for their flight back home
The long-awaited ‘repatriation’ flight (KQ 205) from India departed from Mumbai at 6.30pm local time.
The passengers are expected to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine before they are allowed to go home.
“They arrived together with their caregivers and were received by staff from the Ministry of Health, who facilitated their arrival,” he said.
Regarding testing, Dr Patrick Amoth, the acting Director-General in the Health ministry said that about 21,000 of the 29,430 tests carried out so far were primary.
The rest are subsequent tests meant to confirm the status of the persons they were collected from.
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