As Kenyans anxiously wait for President Uhuru Kenyatta to reopen the economy in a few days following three months of lockdown, COVID-19 cases continue to increase.
On Thursday, Health CAS Dr Rashid Aman announced that 268 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours bringing the tally to 6,941 infections so far.
Dr Aman said 2,704 samples were tested in the last 24 hours bring the total samples tested since March to 176,659.
259 are Kenyans while 9 are foreigners.
On a brighter note, he announced that 20 people had been discharged. The total number of recovered patients is 2,109.
Sadly, three more people died bringing the total to 152.
The news cases comes as 15 Kenyan students who jetted back into the country from Sudan last Saturday tested positive for coronavirus.
They were aboard a Kenya Airways plane that landed at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa.
The 15 were among 129 students stranded in Sudan but were repatriated by Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir together with the county government of Mombasa.
The 15 have since been isolated at the Technical University of Mombasa.
Meanwhile, a research conducted by TIFA, a poll agency whose results were released on Thursday indicated that a majority of Kenyans are shunning coronavirus tests over doubts of authenticity of testing kits.
According to TIFA results, 39 of the respondents said they fear the discomfort and pain that comes with the test. Only 20 percent of those polled said they would take the test.
Further, 11 per cent of the respondents do not trust the testing kits while 10 per cent are afraid of being put under quarantine.
Another eight percent are shunning the test over the fear that they will be ostracized by their families and relatives.
