Kenya confirms 3 new COVID-19 deaths, over 180 cases

ANKARA (AA) - Kenya on Thursday confirmed three more deaths related to the novel coronavirus and 186 infections over the last 24 hours, according to official data.

The fresh figures released by the East African nation's Health Ministry raised the total fatalities due to the virus to 1,739.

Having administered 8,049 COVID-19 tests, health officials reported that among the new cases, 158 were Kenyan and 28 foreigners, bringing the tally of confirmed infections to 99,630, the ministry tweeted.

A total of 1,142,543 coronavirus tests have been carried out so far across Kenya, a country of almost 55 million population, while 75 people have recovered from the disease for a total of 82,729.

Kenya has been in the midst of a second wave of infections in recent weeks, with the capital Nairobi the hardest hit.

President Uhuru Kenyatta extended a nationwide nighttime curfew earlier this month to March 12.

In an executive order, he also announced a 60-day ban on all gatherings, except funerals and weddings for up to 150 people.

With schools opening last week, a 90-day ban on extracurricular activities, including sports, drama, music and exchange visits has also been introduced.

Worldwide, the virus has claimed more than 2 million lives in 191 countries and regions since being detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.

More than 97.1 million people have been infected.