This archive report was first published on 8 August 2020.
On Saturday, Kenya's Health Ministry announced 699 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the country's total caseload to 25,837 since the first case was confirmed on March 13.
The new cases were identified after testing 7,175 samples in 24 hours, with the total number of samples tested now standing at 349,307.
Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe also reported a record 781 recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 11,899, and five more deaths, raising the death toll to 418.
Of the new cases, 675 were Kenyans and 24 were foreigners living in the country, with 427 males and 272 females affected. The youngest patient was one year old, while the oldest was 85.
Kenya's cases have been increasing by between 600 and 700 daily, with community transmission on the rise and all 47 counties having recorded cases of the virus.
The new cases were reported in various counties, including Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu, Machakos, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, and Laikipia.
CS Kagwe warned the public against disregarding guidelines for taming the virus, saying it can be controlled and deaths prevented.
He also highlighted the importance of testing, noting that there were 32 testing facilities across the country and that more would be opened.
Health Services acting Director-General Patrick Amoth explained that people being tested were those who had met case definition criteria by exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus, such as fever, dry cough, tiredness, and difficulty breathing.
Dr Amoth also noted that Kenya was among the top 10 most efficient countries in Africa in terms of testing.
CS Kagwe led a tour of Kakamega County to examine measures taken to boost the fight against the coronavirus, where he was joined by Health ministry officials.
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya reported that Kakamega had allocated Sh105 million to the fight against the virus and had an extra Sh262 million from the national government, which was yet to be spent.
