NAIROBI, Kenya May 2 – Ninety-five per cent of patients who have succumbed to COVID-19 in Kenya are aged above 30 years, data released by the Ministry of Health on Friday indicated.
A detailed analysis presented by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe showed ten of 21 deaths reported so far occurred among patients aged between 30 and 59 years while another ten were among patients aged above 60 years.
However, none of the patients aged between 15-30 years has died of coronavirus since its outbreak in Kenya.
“What this means is that this group is the one that can spread the disease, that is why we are asking people to stay put and avoid travelling upcountry,we are reminding you that that you are the ones carrying,passing and killing others, keep the distance,” Kagwe remarked.
A six-year-old, according to health ministry’s data represents the single fatality for patients aged between 0 and 14.
During a media briefing on COVID-19, Kagwe announced 4 new coronavirus-linked deaths raising the death toll to 21 with the country’s death rate now standing at 5.2 percent against the global rate of 7 percent .
Globally, 234,761 people had died of coronavirus as of May 1.
“Our death rate of 5.2 percent is slightly lower that the global rate of 7 percent,” Kagwe said
He noted that more male patients had died compared female. Female patients, the CS noted, had a tendency for quicker recovery, a trend linked to the fact that most exhibit fewer if any preexisting conditions compared to male patients.
“Females are only 46 per cent of people who have tested positive but only 19 per cent of the people who have died are female compared to 81 percent male. We believe that the reason is the preconditions that exist in male than in female like high blood pressure,” Kagwe said.
The total infections in the country rose to 411 cases with the confirmation of fifteen new cases.
Additionally, the CS noted that country’s recovery rate stood at 36.5 percent with a total of 150 recoveries so far.
He noted that the implementation of curfew countrywide has aided in the fight against the virus. The ministry had projected 10,000 infections by April 30 in the absence of stringent containment measures.
“The curfew has really helped. After we implemented it we have noted that numbers started going down,” the CS said.
