Kenya's COVID-19 cases pass 13,000 mark

NAIROBI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed the numbers of COVID-19 cases passed the 13,000 mark on Sunday amid a spike in the number of infections for the past two weeks.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health said 603 cases from a sample of 5,724 were tested in the past 24 hours.

"We now have 13,353 confirmed positive cases, while our cumulative sample tested has risen to 243, 887," Kagwe said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

He said some 682 patients recovered from the disease. Kagwe said out of the figure 562 have been under home-based care, while 120 have been discharged from various hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries so far to 5,122.

Kagwe said nine patients succumbed to the respiratory disease, bringing the number of fatalities to 234.