The Ministry of Health has confirmed 45 new cases of  COVID-19, the highest ever since  the first cases was registered on 12th March 2020.

According to the Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe the cases were picked  from a sample of 1,077, tested in the last 24 hours, bringing the total tally of Kenya’s positive cases to 535.

He noted that out of the confirmed cases,  29 are from Nairobi Eastleigh estate, 11 from Mombasa,  5 from Wajir, and one is a foreign national from Somali. The five from Wajir have a history of recent travel to Mogadishu.

Among the cases are 30 male and 15 female aged between two years for the youngest and 87 years for the oldest. The gender distribution is a reflection of the global figures which shows that more men are getting women.

He announced that 9 more people have been discharged bringing the total number of those who have recovered from the disease to 182.

From today’s statistics cumulative distribution of cases in three specific areas in the country are;  Eastleigh 63 cases , Kawangware 24 and Old Town in Mombasa 39.

“These figures show that the disease is fast spreading in these areas and in order to minimize transmission and contain the spread of the disease, it is important to test, trace and treat. This is the objective of our targeted testing,” he confirmed

He explained that the trend in the affected counties such as Mombasa old town, Eastleigh and Kawangware calls for government action stressing that “Things have not been easy. In fact, they are not what they used to be.  Our lives have been turned upside down by this pandemic. What I know is that if TOGETHER WE stay focused, we shall surely overcome and get our lives back,” he noted.

He further appealed to Kenyans to continue observing the measures that have been put in place by the government. “The government needs everybody’s support and cooperation which is now critical considering the disturbing  activities especially in the urban centres that have been going on,” he argued.

Today, being the International Day of the midwife, CS Kagwe applauded the commitment and professionalism of midwives in delivering safe, effective, respectful and quality care to mothers, and their babies.

“As frontline health workers, midwives are particularly vulnerable to the Coronavirus disease. This means that pregnant women and babies are at high risk too. We are taking action to ensure they are all protected and this  includes providing all midwives with the same personal protective equipment (PPEs) that other front-line health workers use to insulate themselves from COVID-19,” he  sad.

He also thanked organizations such as United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) that are assisting  the country to scale up midwifery services and supporting training efforts to ensure that midwives not only provide life-saving interventions to women and babies, but also educate against stigmatization, empower and enable women to lead healthy lives and to exercise their right to sexual and reproductive health.

The Ag. Director General of Health, Dr.  Patrick Amoth, added that contact tracing for the positive cases identified at community level has commenced and thanked the community especially in Eastleigh who have turned up in larger numbers for mass testing.

Regarding self-quarantine at home, Dr. Amoth disclosed that the government has developed some guideline which are being reviewed  but clarified that in order for one to self-quarantine, social mapping of their areas will be done to ensure they are feasible to maintain even social distancing to avoid putting their loved ones and even the community in danger.