This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
On Wednesday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced that Kenya's COVID-19 infections had risen to 8,528 following 278 new cases.
According to CS Kagwe, 3,053 samples were tested within the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests conducted since the pandemic struck the country to 196,508.
CS Kagwe also reported that 89 patients had been discharged from various health facilities within the same period, increasing the number of recoveries to 2,593.
However, he expressed remorse that two others had succumbed to the coronavirus, taking the tally of fatalities in the country to 169.
During his tour of Makueni to assess their COVID-19 preparedness, CS Kagwe commended the Governor Kivutha Kibwana-led government for achieving the 300-bed capacity as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and for aiming higher towards over 800 beds.
CS Kagwe also acknowledged that 257 healthcare workers – 4 of them in Makueni – had tested positive for COVID-19 while in their line of duty in the country.
He reassured the health personnel that the government would step up efforts to protect them, lauding them for their efforts in combating the spread of the disease thus far.
“For those who have been exposed, I want to assure them that the government is committed to ensuring that all our frontline soldiers are protected at all times by making available the necessary PPEs and other commodities as they manage our patients,” CS Kagwe said.
“There can never be a higher calling by an individual than what you are currently doing. As a nation we are indebted to you. We have hired 252 healthcare personnel of all cadres to boost human resource capacity, and the process of hiring another 110 is ongoing,” he added.
CS Kagwe further stated: “As a ministry, we have received tremendous support from different individuals and organizations, both public and private. The logistical resources needed to get us where we are today have been enormous, and out of their goodwill we can confidently say that we are in a much better position at our level of readiness.”
