Coronavirus patient in India jumps to death from hospital building

A 50-year-old Covid-19 patient on Monday allegedly jumped to death from the seventh floor of a hospital he was admitted to in India, where he had been admitted.

The man at the Trauma Care Centre in Victoria Hospital campus had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 24 and was admitted to the Trauma Care Centre’s Covid-19 isolation ward. Though he showed no symptoms of Covid-19, he had been sent to the ICU on the seventh floor as he had renal complications, hospital sources said.

The patient, who was not exactly bed-ridden, is said to have come out of his ICU and managed to open the latch of the fire exit from where he leapt around 8.30am.

He landed on the tin roof of the patient waiting area below, the sources said.

The hospital staff heard a loud thud around 8.30am and rushed out to find the man lying on the tin roof. He died instantly.

Police, however, said that they are yet to conclude whether it is a case of suicide or accident.

The man had no travel history to Covid-19 affected countries nor was he in touch with any Covid-19 patient. He had developed Severe Acute Respiratory Infection and was tested for Covid-19. He was also suffering from pneumonia, Hepatitis C viral infection and chronic renal disorder.

“He had undergone dialysis once after admission to Trauma Care Centre. Another dialysis was scheduled for Monday,” said Dr Ramesh Krishna, principal, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, under whose purview the Covid-19 isolation ward falls.

The man is the 20th Covid-19 patient to die in Karnataka. But the man’s death was due to a non-Covid cause, clarified the health and family welfare department.