Flatten the Positivity Rate Below 5% to Lift Covid-19 Restrictions, Uhuru

• Uhuru under pressure to lift all Covid-19 lockdown restrictions

• Government to vaccinate 26 million Kenyans by June 2022

Kenya will lift the partial lockdown imposed within Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado and Nakuru counties when the positivity rate comes below 5% President Uhuru Kenyatta said Thursday.

President Uhuru is under mounting pressure to lift COVID-19 lockdowns in the four counties. 

The president was hopeful that within the thirty periods or the sooner the curve is flattened below 5 per cent, normalcy will return.

“As to when these measures will be removed and go back to normal, which is our prayer every single day, it depends on how we are able to flatten this curve.”

“We cannot ignore the advice that we are getting from WHO, CDC-Africa, and from our experts that the only way to save lives is to take the measures that we have taken,” the President emphasised during a joint press address with ODM leader Raila Odinga on Thursday at the State House Nairobi.

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On the other hand, the Ministry of Health Kenya has recorded 984 new Covid-19 cases, from a sample size of 5,318 bringing caseload to 135,042 with the positivity rate at 18.5%.

The total cumulative tests conducted so far to 1,494,777.

388 patients recovered from the disease, with 314 from the home-based care programme and 74 from different health facilities. This brings the total number of recoveries to 93,067.

However, 14 patients succumbed to the disease, with the death toll hitting 2,167.

1,557 patients are currently admitted to different health facilities countrywide, with 4,879 patients being on home-based isolation and care.

The ministry disclosed that it has been able to vaccinate 196, 435 persons. Amongst these, 111,458  are male and 84,977 are female.

“Already over 800,000 doses have been dispatched for vaccination countrywide. So far the balance of vaccines that are at our national-level amount to 314, 000, while at the regional level there are 261,500 still left,” said the Ministry via its Twitter feed.

“In the sub-county stores, there is a balance of 138, 000. Other health facilities have received 406,500 doses. The Government aims at vaccinating 26 million Kenyans by June next year,” it added.