1,027 people have tested positive to Covid-19 on Saturday bringing the number of confirmed positive cases in the country to 151,287. Figure derived from a sample size of 7,184 tested. Country’s positivity rate is at 14.3%.
From the cases 1,009 are Kenyans while 18 are foreigners. 600 are males and 427 are females. The youngest is a two-month-old baby while the oldest is 110 years. Cumulative tests conducted in the country so far stands at 1,599,668.
20 deaths have been reported, 8 of the deaths having occurred on diverse dates within the last one month, while 12 are late deaths reported after conducting facility record audits. This now pushes the cumulative fatalities to 2,463.
382 patients recovered from the disease, 267 from Home Based & Isolation Care while 115 are from various health facilities across the country. Total recoveries now stand at 101,362 of which, 73,598 are from Home Based Care & Isolation & 27,764 are from various health facilities.
A total of 1,653 patients are admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 5,798 patients are on Home Based Isolation and Care. 264 patients are in the ICU, 55 of whom are on ventilatory support & 161 on supplemental oxygen. 48 patients are on observation.
Another 239 patients are separately on supplementary oxygen with 224 of them in general wards and 15 in High Dependency Units (HDU).
Clarification over variance in Covishield vaccine dose administration in some counties.
National taskforce on Vaccine Deployment & Vaccinations says variance attributed to decision by some manufacturers to include some overage or extra quantity in a vial to cater for losses when vaccines are being drawn into syringes. Each Covishield vaccine vial contains 10 doses.
Depending on the type of syringes used, the remaining quantity in the vial may yield one or two extra doses. Taskforce says the same has been observed during use of the Covishield vaccine in Kenya.
The experience has been observed in other countries conducting COVID-19 Vaccination, such as the USA, due to the use of low dead volume syringes. This in effect leads to a negative wastage rate where more people are vaccinated from one vial than the expected number of doses.
According to the taskforce, Wastage of the vaccines is expected to vary from facility to facility and county to county. Kenya is targeting an average wastage rate of 10% or less to cater for both areas with low wastage and those with high wastage.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.
