This archive report was first published on 21 August 2020.
On Friday, Kenya's COVID-19 death toll rose to 532, following the loss of 16 lives within a 24-hour period.
According to Health Chief Administrative Secretary Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, the country's recovery trajectory remains consistent, with 288 patients recovering, including 190 under home-based care. This brings the total number of recoveries to 18,157, with Dr. Mwangangi expressing gratitude to healthcare workers for their efforts.
"Our total number of recoveries now stands at 18,157. I want to thank our healthcare workers for the good job they are doing," Dr. Mwangangi said during a status update on the pandemic.
Kenya's COVID-19 caseload increased to 31,763, with 322 new cases reported out of 4,470 samples tested across the country. The reported cases included nine detected among foreigners, with the youngest patient being a 3-year-old baby.
As of now, 885 frontline health workers have been infected, with 16 deaths reported across 35 counties. Dr. Mwangangi appealed to Kenyans not to stigmatize those who have recovered from the disease, emphasizing that it can be contracted by anyone.
"We have been receiving very disturbing reports, about how several families and even individuals have been stigmatized by fellow Kenyans. I would like to appeal to our people, not to stigmatize those who have recovered from this deadly disease," she said.
Published on August 21, 2020.
