E-Paper
Assam: Covid-19 patient dies from head injuries while trying to flee quarantine
The deceased, who had recently returned from Odisha, where he was working, amid the easing of nationwide lockdown restrictions, was quarantined at a makeshift facility in a school near his native village in Bongaigaon district.
A man (40) has died in Assam due to head injuries sustained while trying to flee from a quarantine centre after he came to know that he has tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive.
The deceased, who had recently returned from Odisha, where he was working, amid the easing of nationwide lockdown restrictions, was quarantined at a makeshift facility in a school near his native village in Bongaigaon district.
“The deceased and another person tested Covid-19 positive on Tuesday. He was informed about it and an ambulance was sent to transfer both these patients to a hospital,” said MS Lakshmi Priya, deputy commissioner (DC), Bongaigaon.
“When the ambulance reached the quarantine centre, the other person boarded the vehicle. But the man, who had recently returned from Odisha, gave an excuse that he would need to collect some of his stuff from the quarantine centre. He tried to scale a wall of the centre in a bid to escape. Unfortunately, he slipped and sustained severe head injuries,” the DC added.
He was immediately shifted to the medical college hospital in neighbouring Barpeta district, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). He died on Thursday.
“Even though he had tested Covid-19 positive, he didn’t die due to symptoms related to the viral outbreak. His death won’t be counted as a Covid-19 fatality,” the DC said.
“This is an unfortunate incident and the deceased would definitely have recovered from the viral disease within a few days. We’ve no idea why he took such an extreme step. We’re taking extra care of all those who are under institutional quarantine in the district,” she added.
His last rites were performed at his native village in Bongaigaon district on Thursday, as per the central government’s strict guidelines of disposing of bodies of Covid-19 patients.
Bongaigaon district has recorded 65 Covid-19 positive cases until Thursday.
Around 7,000 people working in other states have returned to the district in the past 45 days since the ban on inter-state movement was lifted.
Assam has recorded 4,862 Covid-19 positive cases till Thursday, including 2,849 patients have recovered and nine deaths.
Over 2.91 lakh people have returned to the state from other states in the north-east and the rest of the country since May 4.
