Mumbai: Death of a 25-year-old in Kandivli (E) on Wednesday, amid the backdrop of the novel coronavirus outbreak, led to a panic situation in the neighbourhood after rumours of the teen being a victim of it spread like wildfire. The Samta Nagar Police was informed about the incident. The teen's samples were then sent to Kasturba hospital, where they were tested negative. Police said, the teen died in the hospital after complaining of high fever, cold and was being treated for pneumonia.
Police said, a 19-year-old youth, who worked at a pharmacist in Kandivli (E), was complaining of cold and fever, for which he self medicated initially. However, when the symptoms did not come down, he underwent medical tests and was diagnosed with pneumonia. The teen was undergoing treatment at a suburban hospital, during which he succumbed to his ailment on Wednesday.
After the doctors informed Samta Nagar Police, there was a suspicion surrounding the teen's death and his body was kept in a separate room. Acting on police's instructions, doctors collected samples from the teen's body and sent them to Kasturba hospital for the COVID-19 test. The air was cleared after the deceased's blood samples report came out to be negative for the COVID-19 virus, said a senior police officer.
"The rumour mills went abuzz after his death, which created panic. However, the situation was contained and it was revealed that the youth died of pneumonia. We have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the matter and it was not related to the coronavirus outbreak," added the officer, requesting confidentiality.
