Chennai: Coronavirus patient found dead in hospital toilet

A 65-year-old woman, who had allegedly disappeared from the coronavirus ward in Chennai’s Government Stanley Hospital on Tuesday, was later found dead in one of the hospital restrooms on Wednesday.

The deceased woman was a resident of Red Hills, who had complained of cough and fever last week, following which health officials took her nasal sample. When she tested positive for the virus, she was admitted to the Government Stanley Hospital, where she had been receiving treatment. The ward members found her missing from her spot on Tuesday, and informed the same to the hospital staff, who in turn informed the police personnel in the hospital. As the woman did not have any registered attenders/relatives, the police were unable to determine her whereabouts. When one of the restrooms in the hospital was found locked from the inside for a long period on Wednesday, the hospital staff broke in to find the woman lying dead on the floor. According to police, the woman may have slipped down and died of internal haemorrhage due to the impact. Although the source of her coronavirus infection currently remains unknown, the police believe that she may have contracted it from a local vegetable vendor.

As on June 4, a total of over 217k cases have been registered across India and 6075 people have died. Tamil Nadu has reported 24586 cases and 197 deaths.