This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
May 21, 2020 - Nairobi, Kenya. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in Kenya, with 80 new infections confirmed on Thursday, marking the largest number recorded on a single day.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has sounded the alarm, warning of an upward trajectory in new infections. 'I am pleading with you to take this matter seriously because as you can see the numbers are rising by the day,' he said.
Public health officials are projecting the peak for COVID-19 in August or September, with the country likely to record up to 200 cases a day. The 80 new cases were spread across Mombasa, Nairobi, Siaya, Kwale, Garissa, and Taita Taveta.
One of the cases reported in Siaya involved mourners from Nairobi's Kibera slum who obtained a fake permit to attend a burial. All seven of the mourners tested positive for the virus.
Public health officials have commenced contact-tracing for the mourners, both in their journey origin in Kibera and Siaya where they were attending a burial.
Since Wednesday, 3,102 people had been tested, out of which 80 were confirmed to have the virus. 'The trend demonstrates that the larger the sample size, the more the cases,' Kagwe said.
