Kenya launches web-based app to trace COVID-19 cases

Kenya's Ministry of Health said it has embarked on the use of a web-based application to help trace COVID-19 cases as the country recorded 12 deaths on Monday, the highest daily number of deaths ever.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health said that health personnel have moved away from telephone calls while tracing COVID-19 cases in the country to computer use.

"The National Response and Contact tracing team is currently conducting training for these teams on the usage of the web-based tool and data management," Kagwe told journalists in Nairobi.

He said that personnel in 23 counties have so far been trained on how to use web-based tools and management, noting that contact tracing is a critical tool for controlling the pandemic through interruption of the transmission chain by early detection and isolation of cases.

Kagwe said that there are 229 rapid response and contact tracing teams in all counties that are engaged in following up and investigating cases.

He urged Kenyans to stay calm amid an upsurge in the number of COVID-19 cases and not to relent in the fight against the pandemic.

The official said that 189 people tested positive from 1,205 samples which were tested in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 10,294.

Kagwe said some 65 patients were discharged from various hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,946.

According to Kagwe, 12 more patients succumbed to the disease, bringing the total number of fatalities to 197.

"This is the highest number of fatalities recorded in a single day since this pandemic struck," Kagwe said. The total number of samples tested so far is 216,242. (Xinhua)