Kenya has received a consignment of medical supplies from China as the number of COVID-19 patients increases.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe while receiving the consignment at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Friday said 12 more people have tested positive for coronavirus.
The total of COVID-19 patients is now at 246.
The 12 were confirmed after 450 samples were tested in the last 24 hours leading to Friday.
“As we stand right now at this hour we have already tested about 450 samples out of which we have already got 12 cases,” the CS said adding that, “we have not finished the day.”
Five of the 12 new patients are hotel workers while four are residents tracked by the surveillance team.
The Health Ministry has also geared up for an efficient testing mechanism.
This has been bolstered by the donation of 200,000 sampling and testing tubes by China marking the start of the first phase of mass testing.
“These 200,000 sampling tubes are key to our ability to mass test Kenyans. Without these sampling tubes, we would not be able to start our mass testing, but with these tubes, we are now able to fast track,” Kagwe added.
Kagwe who was also flanked by Interior and Transport Cabinet Secretaries, Fred Matiang’i and James Macharia also received 500,000 three-ply masks, 4,000 shoe covers for use by frontline health workers, 300 static shoes used by doctors in theatres, 76,000 N95 masks and face visors.
Kenya Airways 787 Dreamliner transported medical supplies from China.
