'Raincoat' stolen by drunkard from hospital turns out to be PPE kit; he tests COVID-19 positive

Guwahati: In what can be described as a bizarre incident, an injured drunken man who was admitted to a hospital in Maharashtra's Nagpur allegedly stole a PPE (personal protective equipment) kit, thinking that it was a raincoat. He later tested positive for COVID-19.

The man is reportedly a vegetable vendor and was injured the previous week after falling into a drain while returning home as he was under the heavy influence of alcohol. He was rushed to a nearby hospital for preliminary treatment and was later shifted to Nagpur's Mayo Hospital.

When he returned home after getting discharged from the hospital, he had a PPE kit with him. He reportedly told his friends that it was a raincoat that he had purchased for Rs 1,000. People, however, noticed that it wasn't a raincoat, but a PPE kit. The information was passed on to the city's health department officials, who seized the protective gear from the man and burnt it.

On being questioned, the man told the officials that he had stolen the PPE kit during his treatment at the hospital. Officials collected his sample for COVID testing and found him positive. The officials also traced and tested his primary contacts, including his family members, relatives, and friends. All of them tested negative for the infection.

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