Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Sunday urged Kenyans to present themselves for Covid-19 in a bid to detect the deadly virus early.
Speaking when he toured medical facilities in Othaya, Nyeri, the CS said it is easier to manage the disease when it is detected early.
“When you test early, and in the event we detect the virus early, it becomes easy to manage the disease,” said Kagwe.
He also raised concern over non-communicable diseases which he said contribute to one in every three deaths and is projected to rise in the country.
Kagwe urged people with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to follow medical advice and observe containment measures since they are at a higher risk of contracting the virus.
“Non communicable diseases are becoming a major sources of concern because of the growth in mortality rate,” he said, adding: “NCDs have the potential of driving a household into poverty, and can reduce family incomes by 30%.”
Kagwe noted that NCDs are “often silent” and usually one will not show symptoms “until too late”, further stating that “early action is best and is cheaper.”
The number of infections in Kenya rose to 3,594 after 137 more cases were confirmed on Sunday following the testing of 3,167 samples.
The new positive cases are distributed in counties as follows; Nairobi (92), Mombasa (16), Kajiado (15), Busia and Kiambu, four cases each, Kilifi, Nakuru, Nyamira, Uasin Gishu, Siaya and Muranga, have one case each.
32 more patients were discharged from various hospitals, bringing the tally of recoveries to 1,253.
Three more patients died, raising the total number of fatalities in the country to 103.
In Nairobi, the 92 cases are from; Mathare, 25, Embakasi East (10), Kibra, and Westlands, nine cases each, Langata (8), Ruaraka (6), Dagoretti North (5), Embakasi South, Kasarani and Makadara, four cases each, Embakasi West, and Kamukunji three cases each, Roysambu and Starehe, one (1) case each.
