• As at yesterday, there were 1,049 people admitted across various hospitals in the country.
• Out of these 39 are in ICU, with 21 under ventilatory support while 18 are on supplementary oxygen.
Image: MAGDALINE SAYA
The Health Ministry is concerned about increasing number of deaths among patients with no history of co-morbid conditions.
Out of the seven deaths reported by the Health CAS Rashid Aman on Wednesday, two had no history of preexisting medical conditions.
The number of fatalities in the country now stands at 209.
The ministry has now issued a warning to the youthful population to take precautionary measures seriously.
During the initial phase of the pandemic, most of the people who died had preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
Acting Health DG Patrick Amoth warned that the number of deaths recorded will significantly increase with the increase in the number of positive cases recorded in the country.
“That is usually cause for worry because it means either they are getting a more serious form of infection which therefore, means we need to warn the young people that not everybody who gets Covid-19 survives. You could be that unlucky person who gets a more serious form and succumbs,” Amoth warned.
As of Wednesday, there were 1,049 people admitted across various hospitals in the country. Out of these, 39 are in ICU, with 21 under ventilatory support and 18 on supplementary oxygen.
“The healthcare system has been resilient and people are still able to get services. So we are pleased that on the 10th day following the lifting of the restriction of movement, so far the healthcare system has responded very well,” the DG said.
This comes even as infections among healthcare workers continue to rise steadily, a matter that is likely to affect service delivery to Covid-19 patients.
The DG confirmed that 450 healthcare workers had been infected with the virus, 41 in Pumwani Maternity Hospital. Four have so far succumbed, including Dr Doreen Adisa.
Data from the ministry on Wednesday showed that the number of positive cases in the country now stands at 11,252 after 461 more cases were confirmed.
The new cases were from 4,261 samples tested in a day. The total number of tests conducted since the first case is now 225,495.
On a positive note, 51 more people were discharged from hospital, bringing the total number of patients who have successfully recovered to 3,068.
The new cases are aged between one and 86 years, comprising 320 men and 141 women.
Out of the total confirmed cases, 248 are from Nairobi while 97 are from Machakos. Kiambu followed with 20 cases, Kajiado 15, Migori 14, Busia 12, Nakuru 11, Laikipia and Nyeri seven cases each while Kilifi had six cases.
Others are Uasin Gishu and Lamu with four cases each, Kakamega and Kisii with three cases each, Kisumu and Makueni two cases each while Taita Taveta and Bomet with one each
Meanwhile, Aman revealed that discussions are ongoing with NHIF and other insurance stakeholders in the private industry to come up on a way of covering Covid-19 costs.
“We have to look at and review their policies because Covid-19 was not there before, it was not there when the policies were set and the exclusions and inclusions were set,” Aman said.
“It is a process of reviewing this and seeing what it means, what the implications are in terms of costs and what can be covered but I can tell you that these discussions are ongoing not just with NHIF but also in the private insurance industry.”
Edited by R.Wamochie