Some 415,000 elderly Kenyans are at higher risk of dying from coronavirus if it spreads into the country.
These are the only Kenyans above 80 years, according to the 2019 Kenya National Population and Housing Census report released last week.
According to the World Health Organization, people aged above 80 have the highest risk of death - at 14.8 per cent - if they contract the Covid-19 or novel coronavirus.
The risk of death is highest among the elderly and smokers. It reduces in younger age groups.
"Older persons and persons with pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes appear to develop serious illnesses more often than others," WHO says.
The risk of death among the 797,661 Kenyans aged 70-79 is eight per cent.
The global risk assessment is based on 72,314 cases of Covid-19 in China as of February 11 and is published in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology.
The risk of death is 3.6 per cent for the 1.5 million Kenyans aged 60-69, and 1.3 per cent among the 2.4 million between 50-59 years, if they contract the virus.
From here the risk of death drops dramatically among younger people.
Between age 40-49, the risk is 0.4 per cent and 0.2 per cent among those aged 39 years and below, who were the majority.
However, smokers are more likely to die if they contract the virus, compared to non-smokers, because the habit increases the risks of respiratory complications.
University of Nairobi virologist Prof Omu Anzala said Kenya should be on high alert over the outbreak.
Anzala is the director of KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research.
“Let us not imagine that the virus is far away from us, it could emerge from any point in this country, therefore, there is need to be highly alert,” Anzala said at the university this week.
The virus has infected 81,109 people and killed about 2,700 of them.
