Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi on Sunday said the new patients include 15 Kenyans and a Nigerian.
She said the 16 people have been moved into isolation in various facilities and contact tracing is ongoing. The ages of the confirmed cases range between 22 to 66 years.
“We have so far monitored 1,833 contacts and out of this number 1,384 have been discharged. Currently, there are 449 contacts that we are actively tracing,” Dr Mwangangi said.
The government has directed families of patients who succumb to coronavirus to bury kin within 24 hours; mourners restricted to 15.
The 16 cases were discovered after the ministry conducted tests on 530 samples. Nine of those who tested positive were from quarantine facilities, while seven were from contact tracing; 11 patients had travel history while five were infected locally.
EXPLOITING KENYANS
Dr Mwangangi said that of the positive cases, 12 are from Nairobi, three from Mombasa and one from Kilifi. Nine are males while seven are females.
She urged Kenyans visiting public places, such as supermarkets, to wear face masks to reduce virus transmission. She said once the masks and other equipment are ready, they will be distributed at county level through various organised groups like matatu saccos.
She warned private hospitals against exploiting Kenyans during this period. “It has come to our attention that there are private hospitals who are overcharging Kenyans. We have reports of gloves that cost up to Sh8,000; it is unacceptable and immoral, and the medical council has been directed to take up this matter,” she said.