5 Hotel Workers Among Kenya's 12 New Covid-19 Patients

The tally of coronavirus infections in Kenya has increased to 246 after 12 additional people tested positive for the disease.

The 12 cases were confirmed from 450 samples tested by Friday morning, according to Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.

Kagwe, while addressing reporters at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Friday morning, said the 12 new patients include five hotel employees while four are from contact tracing.

“As we stand right now at this hour we have already tested about 450 samples out of which we have already got 12 cases and we have not finished the day,” said Kagwe.

Kagwe, who was flanked by CS Fred Matiang’i (Interior) and James Macharia (Transport), was at JKIA to receive a consignment of medical equipment that arrived from China.

Kagwe said the ministry is ready to roll out mass testing for Covid-19 following the arrival of 200,000 sampling and testing tubes from China.

“These 200,000 sampling tubes are key to our ability to mass test Kenyans. Without these sampling tubes, we would not be able to start our mass testing, but with these tubes, we are now able to fast track,” said Kagwe.

The medical supplies from China include 500,000 three-ply masks, 200,000 testing, and sampling tubes, 4,000 shoe covers for health workers, 300 static shoes, 76,000 N95 masks, and face visors. 

The consignment was shipped from China to Nairobi through a Kenya Airways 787 Dreamliner. CS Kagwe said another plane carrying additional ventilators will arrive in the country in the coming days.