Covid-19 cases explode in Mathare - VIDEO

In Summary

• A total of 33 new cases were recorded in Mathare and 14 in Kibera. Mr Kagwe said public transport is fuelling the spread of the virus in the slums.

Kenya's confirmed Covid-19 cases on Wednesday reached 1,471 after 123 more infections were recorded, the Health minister said.

This is so far the highest daily increase in the country since the virus was confirmed on March 13.

The increasing Covid-19 cases reflect an increasing testing capacity, as a total of 3,077 samples were tested in the past 24 hours.

“For the first time we have hit a triple digit. This is the highest number of positive cases we have ever recorded in a single day since the first case on March 13,” Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said.

Mr Kagwe said 78 of the new cases are males and 45 females – with their ages ranging between one to 76 years.

In his daily coronavirus briefing, Mr Kagwe announced that urban poor areas in Nairobi have become a focal point of the Covid-19 outbreak.

A total of 33 new cases were recorded in Mathare and 14 in Kibera. Mr Kagwe said public transport is fuelling the spread of the virus in the slums.

Mombasa reported 24 cases, the second highest after Nairobi, with the virus having now spread to 35 counties.

Kiambu, Kajiado and Kisumu reported four, three and two cases respectively.

“This disease is now within the communities, no one is safe, from mama mboga (vegetable vendors) to the most influential person, no one can say that they cannot get the virus. There should be no false sense of security about immunity to Covid-19,” Mr Kagwe said.

The CS appealed to Kenyans to volunteer and get tested.

Mr Kagwe said 590 Covid-19 patients are in hospitals across the country, seven of them in critical condition. Four of those in critical condition are on ventilatory support while three are on supplemental oxygen.

The Health minister confirmed three more Covid-19 deaths after three patients died in hospitals.

The total number of recoveries to date is 408, after three more patients were discharged from hospital, Mr Kagwe said.