Kenya is on high alert after reporting 15 new cases of the Indian COVID-19 variant.
According to the Health Chief Administrative Secretary Dr. Rashid Aman, the 15 were confirmed after 18 people were screened at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, (JKIA).
“A further analysis of the tests performed on 17 of the 18 cases screened at JKIA during arrival from India has shown that 15 of them are positive for the new variant. They are all safely under isolation,” said Dr. Aman.
Kenya’s total cases of the Indian mutant now stand at 20 after 5 cases were detected a week ago in Kisumu County.
This even as the World Health Organization (WHO), announced Tuesday that 44 countries had so far reported the Indian double mutant. According to the global health body, the mutant is now a variant of concern.
The government of Kenya also reported 410 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, from a sample size of 3,799 tests, translating to a positivity rate of 10.8 percent.
22 more COVID-19 related deaths have also been registered, with the Ministry of Health saying 18 of the fatalities occurred on diverse dates within the last one month and 4 were reported after facility record audits. Kenya’s death toll has now hit 2,950.
A total of 1,049 patients are currently admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 4,823 patients are on Home Based Isolation and Care. 119 patients are in the ICU with another 91 patients separately on supplemental oxygen.
In terms of vaccination, as of Wednesday May 12, a total of 925,509 people had been immunized against COVID-19 countrywide.
