80 people test positive for Covid-19, the highest number recorded in a day in Kenya

By , K24 Digital
On Thu, 21 May, 2020 15:38 | < 1 min read
Kagwe
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe. PHOTO | FILE
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on May 20, 2020. PHOTO | SCREENGRAB

Kenya on Thursday confirmed the highest number of Covid-19 cases recorded in a single day since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease.

Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, said that 80 people tested positive from a sample of 3, 102 samples, pushing total infections in the country to 1,109.

"This demonstrates that the larger the sample, the more positive the cases are," said CS Kagwe.

The Health CS revealed that the country has increased its testing capacity by over 40 percent.

Of the new cases, Kagwe said that the youngest Covid-19 patient is a six-month-old baby hence the need for expectant and nursing mothers to adhere to social distancing rules.

The Health Ministry also revealed that nine more patients were discharged from hospitals, pushing total recoveries to 375.

So far, the country has tested 52,507 samples and recorded 50 fatalities.

During the briefing, Kagwe also revealed that the country lost 13 people to a cholera outbreak in Northern Kenya.

The CS said that 12 people from Marsabit and one from Turkana died of cholera on Thursday.