• The country is supposed to hit a positivity rate of five per cent, and ensure the same is sustained for at least two weeks.
• Data from the Health ministry has shown that in the past week, the positivity rate has been on the decline and as at Monday, the rate was at six per cent.
Image: MAGDALINE SAYA
The next three to four weeks will be critical in determining whether the country has begun flattening the Covid-19 infection curve.
Data from the Health ministry has shown that in the past week, the positivity rate has been on the decline and as of Monday, the rate was at six per cent.
On Monday, 193 people tested positive for the virus, the lowest figure recorded so far this week.
The new cases were from 3,381 samples tested, bringing the virus caseload to 32,557.
Health DG Patrick Amoth noted that the outcome of the next few weeks will determine whether to lift the remaining containment measures.
For that to be achieved, the country is supposed to hit a positivity rate of five per cent, and ensure the same is sustained for at least two weeks.
“You have noticed a decreasing positivity rate which tells you we are making progress, but we have not hit the magical five per cent which we need to hit and sustain for two weeks before we can actually say that we are flattening the curve,” Amoth said.
“So our projections are in line with what we told you earlier in March and April that the pandemic will peak in late August or September and empirical data that we are seeing is pointing to that figure but it is too early to conclusively come to address this matter as at now,” he added.
The ministry has, however, admitted challenges in testing capacity.
The lack of test kits and reagents due to the rising global demand and supply has led to difficulties in accessing the commodities.
Health CAS Rashid Aman, however, noted that a consignment of more kits and reagents is expected in the country any moment.
Currently, the country has more than 34 labs testing for Covid-19 spread throughout the country.
“We have in the last week been testing lower than what we had the previous week. And the reason is that it depends upon the supply chain and reagents that we have,” Aman said.
“We have organised to get it on a regular basis from our suppliers and I think they have been able to maintain that over the last several weeks that have seen our testing numbers really go up but now and then we do have a challenge in this supply chain and that is when you see us having lower numbers of testing.”
The CAS noted that so far, 768 children aged below 10 have tested positive in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, with four having died.
Total deaths from Covid-19 are 554 after six more patients died of the virus on Monday. The youngest was two months old.
The total number of cumulative tests conducted since the first case is now 425,364.
On a positive note, 225 more people recovered from the virus, 188 from home-based care while 37 from hospitals. This brings the total number of patients who have successfully recovered to 18,895.
Nairobi continues to lead in the number of infections after recording 78 new cases, followed by Embu with 24 cases, Garissa 21, Kiambu 18, Nyeri 13 and Mombasa 10.
Others are Samburu six, Murang’a five, Lamu four, Kajiado three, Trans Nzoia and Kilifi two cases each while Machakos, Isiolo, Tharaka Nithi, Meru, Nyandarua, Uasin Gishu and Nakuru recorded one new case each.
Edited by R.Wamochie