Shalom Community Hospital in Athi River has been sealed off following deaths of some patients due to COVID-19.
In a statement on Saturday, Machakos Governor Dr Alfred Mutua said the decision to close the facility on Friday night was arrived at after consultations with Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council and the Director General of Health.
Dr Alfred Mutua said three patients have died of COVID-19 at the facility in the past one week.
He said people booked as inpatients at the hospital also tested positive for COVID-19 amid concerns that they may have contracted the virus while at the hospital.
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” The process of screening and testing for COVID- 19 may take several days and has already started. Further decisions will be undertaken according to evaluation of the relevant agencies involved in the provision of health care and combating of Covid-19. He said
The hospital is now a quarantine facility and nobody is allowed to get in or leave.
“I urge all Wananchi to be patient as we ensure all health facilities are safe so as to avoid hospital based infections that were witnessed in places like New York and several Italian cities.” He added
On Saturday, Kenya confirmed 5,811 cases of COVID-19 after 278 more patients tested positive for the disease.



