Kenya ranks 48 in African Covid assessment report
Mercy Mwai @wangumarci
Kenya is ranked position 48 out of 98 countries with regards to how it handled the Covid-19 pandemic in the last 36 weeks.
According to a report by the Australian Think Tank group Lowy Institute, Kenya is behind Rwanda, which is ranked at an impressive sixth position, emerging the best African country in terms of how it dealt with the pandemic.
Tanzania, which has declared itself Corona free is not among the 98 countries, while Uganda is ahead of Kenya as it is ranked position 30 with an average of 59.7 per cent.
According to the report, many developing countries were able to cope with the initial outbreak of the pandemic while countries with advanced economies, lost their lead by the end of 2020 after infections increased again in many places that had achieved apparent success in suppressing first waves of the pandemic.
“In approaching the task of measuring the comparative effectiveness of countries’ handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of criteria are relevant.
Fewer reported cases and deaths, both in aggregate and per capita terms, point towards a better response to the virus,” reads the report in part.
Other African countries ahead of Kenya include Mozambique at position 26 with an average of 60.2, Malawi 27 (60.2), Zimbabwe 38 (54.9), Congo, 39 (54.9) Ghana 41 (53.8) and Ethiopia at position 46 with an average of 49.1.
Interestingly, United States of America is among the bottom four at position 94, with South Africa being position 82.
Those in the top three positions include New Zealand at position one with an average of 94.4, followed by Vietnam with an average of 90.8 and Taiwan with an average of 90.8.
China was not included in the ranking due to a lack of publicly available data on testing.
Performance by types of countries was calculated by taking the average score of all countries that fell into the relevant categories.
The report states that in total, 98 countries were evaluated in the 36 weeks that followed their hundredth confirmed case of Covid-19, using data available to 9 January 2021.
The report came on the day nine people tested positive for the disease, out of a sample size of 4,758 tested bringing the total confirmed positive cases to 100,422. The cumulative tests so far conducted stand at 1,172,167.
In a statement yesterday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said two patients succumbed to the virus pushing cumulative fatalities to 1,753.
Of the positive cases, 80 are Kenyans while 19 are foreigners with 62 being male and 37 females.
Some 476 patients are admitted in various health facilities countrywide, 1,363 on home-based isolation and care, 28 patients in the Intensive Care Unit; 14 are on ventilatory support and 13 on supplemental oxygen while one patient is under observation.
Another 16 patients are separately on supplementary oxygen with 11 of them in the general wards and five in the High Dependency Unit.
Total recoveries
“Another 66 patients have recovered from the disease. 34 are from our various facilities while 32 from the home-based care.
The total recoveries now stand at 83,757,” reads a statement sent to newsrooms.
In the latest results, Nairobi county still leads with 57 new cases, Mombasa (six), Kilifi (six), Kiambu (six), Kajiado (two), Embu (four), Bungoma (three), Machakos (three), Kisumu (two), Migori (two), Kakamega, Kitui, Laikipia, Homa Bay, Kericho, Meru, Siaya and Turkana one case each.
