Kenya records 19 more deaths, nearly 500 virus cases

ANKARA (AA) – Kenya on Thursday confirmed 19 new COVID-19-related deaths and 495 new infections amid ongoing vaccination campaign across the Eastern African country.

With the new cases, the death toll reached 2,707 and the confirmed infections hit 158,326 after conducting 1.7 million tests over a year in the country of almost 55 million people, according to the Health Ministry's update.

Some 1,250 COVID-19 patients are currently admitted in various healthcare facilities in Kenya, while 242 people recovered Wednesday, taking the number of recoveries to 108,124, the ministry announced.

According to the ministry, those infected range in age from one to 96 years old and include 482 Kenyans and 13 foreigners.

The capital Nairobi comes first among the most affected counties in Thursday’s update with 92 confirmed infections, followed by Mombasa with 50 cases.

The ministry said as of Wednesday a total of 865,897 people have been vaccinated.

On Wednesday, Kenya’s Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe suspended flights to and from India for 14 days following an uproar on social media that demanded the East African nation take action after surge in virus cases in India.

Kagwe said the National Emergency Response Committee held a crisis meeting and decided that because of the catastrophic situation in India and surging COVID-19 infections, measures had to be taken to curb the spread of the virus.

On Tuesday, the Kenya Council of Governors said that Kenyans who have been vaccinated are no longer observing mitigation measures and expressed concern about the rising infections.

Health Committee chairman Anyang’ Nyong’o said the counties of Nakuru, Kakamega, Meru, Uasin Gishu, Murang’a, Nyeri and Kisumu have reported a rise in infections, overwhelming the health system.