Nairobi — The country’s COVID-19 positivity rate on Saturday maintained a surge above 10 per cent with seven virus-related fatalities reported raising the nationwide death toll since April 2020 to 1, 908 cases.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Saturday said an additional 870 COVID-19 infections marking a 13.8pc positivity rate.
The infections were detected from 6,309 samples which were tested from Friday.
Nairobi County produced a majority of the new infections after posting 431 cases.
Kagwe said 117 patients had recovered from the virus bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 88,326. He said 42 of the new recoveries were recorded under the home-based care program.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday extended the nationwide night curfew for another 60 days as part of the containment measures aimed at suppressing the spread of the virus.
In his 14th televised national address on the pandemic on Friday, the Head of State warned of a third wave of infections, saying the positivity rate had risen from two per cent in January, to 13 per cent and “is still rising”.
Kenya registered the highest death toll in a single day — 12 fatalities — since last year with more contagious variants emerging in the United Kingdom and South Africa have both been recorded in the country.
“The nationwide curfew is hereby extended for a further containment of 60 days,” said Kenyatta, adding that a measure requiring bars and restaurants to close at 9pm would remain.
Kenyatta also reimposed a ban on political gatherings, which had been forbidden from the start, but mostly ignored by him and his allies who have criss-crossed the country for months drawing massive crowds while drumming up support for constitutional reforms.
ODM Party Leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was on Thursday confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19 after a week of rallies at the coast.