The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kenya surpassed the 7,000 mark on Friday, making it the 12th country to hit the figure.
The Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Rashid Aman, announced at a press briefing in Nairobi that the East African country had confirmed 247 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s total tally to 4,147.
Of the new cases reported, 242 are Kenyans while 5 are foreigners.
Kenya is the worst affected country by the COVID-19 pandemic in the East African region, having seen a recent upsurge in new daily infections.
Aman also announced that two more people had died of the disease, brining Kenya’s total number of fatalities to 154.
Beyond Kenya, Africa has reported more than 433,000 COVID-19 infections and over 10,600 deaths, even as health experts warn that the continent is yet to experience its peak.
The World Health Organization has also recently said the number of new cases globally has increased exponentially, seeing as high as 160,000 new infections every day.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom urged countries to “find, isolate, test and care for every case, trace and quarantine every contact, equip and train health workers and educate and empower communities to protect themselves and others.”
