This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
On June 26, 2020, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua announced the closure of Shalom Hospital in Athi River to new patients following reported cases of Covid-19. The decision was made after the death of three patients at the hospital due to the coronavirus.
According to the governor, the facility was sealed off after consulting with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council and the Director-General of Health. The hospital's management confirmed that there were suspected Covid-19 patients in the hospital, who were isolated and under treatment.
Out of eight suspected cases of Covid-19, six tested positive, prompting the management to test its staff and patients who could have come into contact with the patients. Of the 19 staff members tested, one tested positive for the virus.
Shalom Hospital, a Level Four facility, does not have ICU facilities and has been referring critical cases to advanced public and private hospitals. However, due to a constraint in ICU facilities countrywide, three patients passed away while being transferred to other hospitals.
"Last night, my government, after consultations with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council and the Director-General of Health closed the facility for new patients," Mutua tweeted on June 27, 2020.
The governor urged members of the public to remain calm as the county government works to ensure health facilities are safe to avoid hospital-based infections.
