This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
On July 10, 2020, Kenya witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases, with 473 new infections confirmed within 24 hours, marking the highest number of cases in a single day. This brings the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 9,448.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced the new cases during a press briefing in Kilifi, where he also revealed that 324 of the new infections were among male patients, while 149 were among female carriers.
The youngest patient to contract the disease is 1 year old, while the oldest is 90 years old. The country also reported a high number of deaths, with eight people succumbing to the disease in the last 24 hours, including a medical healthcare worker. This brings the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Kenya to 181.
Seventy-six more patients recovered from the disease, pushing the total number of recoveries to 2,733. Kenya has tested 206,584 samples for COVID-19 so far.
With 5,188 cases, Nairobi County leads in the number of COVID-19 infections in Kenya, followed by Mombasa, which has 1,720 cases. Kilifi County, where the press briefing was held, has 71 cases, with 45 patients already treated and discharged.
At the beginning of the press briefing, CS Kagwe observed a minute of silence in honor of Dr. Doreen Lugaliki, a medical doctor who succumbed to COVID-19 on July 9 at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. Dr. Lugaliki, 38, was an obstetrician-gynecologist attached to Nairobi South Hospital.
CS Kagwe described Dr. Lugaliki as 'extremely professional and nice' and extended his condolences to her family. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists' Union (KMPDU) also announced her demise on Facebook, saying, 'We have lost a hard-working obstetrician/gynecologist, a mother, a friend and a colleague to the devastating effects of Covid-19.'
