Schools Reopening in Jeopardy As MOH releases Today’s Covid-19 rates
The covid-19 pandemic has continued to ravage the country causing havoc in all sectors of the economy. The virus has continued to devastate families and communities. Currently, the country is still battling a third wave of the pandemic that has seen a sharp increase in the rate of Covid-19 infections.
The education sector is among the sectors that have been adversely affected by the virus. Since March last year when the first case was reported, normalcy is yet to be achieved in schools. The virus disrupted almost everything in the sector. The academic calendar has been adversely affected leading to compressed and short terms an incoming academic year.
However, just a day to Monday schools reopening, the ministry of education has delivered bad news in today’s covid-19 update. In today’s update, Kenya has recorded 847 new COVID-19 infections with a positivity rate of 13.9 percent. This is the highest positivity rate compared to 5 percent that is recommended by the World Health Organization for schools to reopen.
Kagwe said that 722 patients have recovered from the disease with 567 from the Home-Based Isolation and Care program while 155 are from various health facilities countrywide.
Total recoveries now stand at 185,762.
The CS said that 11 patients have succumbed to the disease with one of them having occurred in the last 24 hours, while 10 are late deaths reported after conducting facility record audits in July.
This now pushes the cumulative fatalities to 3,849.
A total of 1,277 patients are currently admitted to various health facilities countrywide, while 3,705 are under the Home-Based Isolation and Care program.
Further, 167 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 35 of whom are on ventilatory support and 80 on supplemental oxygen. 52 patients are under observation.
Another 366 patients are separately on supplemental oxygen with 323 of them in general wards and 43 in High Dependency Units (HDU).
Nairobi recorded 397 cases, Busia 66, Kiambu 58, Nakuru 46, Mombasa 40, Nyeri 35, Machakos 29, and Kilifi 23.
Turkana 17, Kitui 14, Murang’a 12, Kericho 11, Kirinyaga 10, Nyandarua 10, Garissa 8, Kajiado 8, Siaya 8, Homa Bay 7, Kisumu 6, Bungoma 6, Uasin Gishu 6, Migori 5, Vihiga 4, Lamu 3, Nyamira 3, Meru 2, Narok 2, West Pokot 2, Laikipia 2, while Taita Taveta, Tana River, Trans Nzoia, Embu, Kakamega, Kisii, and Kwale reported single cases each.
Vaccination
By Friday 23, a total of 1,670,941 vaccines had been administered across the country. Of these, the total first doses are 1,046,526 while the second doses are 624,415.
The uptake of the second dose among those who received their first dose is at 59.7 percent with the majority being males at 55 percent while females are at 45 percent. The proportion of adults fully vaccinated is 2.3 percent.
This put school re-opening in Jeopardy as it shows Covid-19 is fast spreading again and this may pose a great danger to learners who are expected to go back to school on Monday next week.
