Face masks are mandatory in public spaces as part of ‘targeted measures’ to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Kenya, the ministry of health said Monday.
Kenya and Mauritius are experiencing the sixth wave of Covid-19 infections, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The country’s current positivity rate is at 9.9 percent, on Monday.
Kagwe noted that the country’s COVID-19 positivity rate had risen from a weekly average of 0.6 percent in early May to the current 10.4 percent.
“The sharp rise in coronavirus infections should concern everyone and we must take strong measures to prevent a slide into a public health crisis,” Kagwe said at a media.
“The sharp rise in infections should mean something to our country and we must once again take steps to prevent a slide into a crisis like the one we experienced in 2020 and 2021 when we lost many lives and resources.”
The World Health Organization labels a country to be a high risk if the positivity rate rises above five percent. In Kenya, the positivity rate has remained above the five percent mark since June 2.
The Ministry of Health says as of June 18th, 2022, a total of 18,582,262 vaccines had been administered across the country. Of these, 16,644,170 are doses administered to the adult population (18 years and above).
Kenya aims to vaccinate 26 million eligible citizens by the end of June 2022.
“Those who have not been vaccinated should do so immediately. Those who have been vaccinated and need a booster shot should do so immediately,” said Kagwe.
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