Elderly couple dies of COVID on way to hospital

In a tragic incident, an elderly couple, who tested positive for COVID-19, died in an ambulance while on way to hospital at Madanapalle on Tuesday. The incident occurred near Pedda Tippa Samudram in Chittoor district.

According to information, the couple, aged 74 and 69 years, and residents of B. Kothakota mandal headquarters, voluntarily come for the COVID-19 test at the local primary health centre on Monday morning. When the report came in the evening, both tested positive. The field staff of the task force of COVID-19 rushed to the village on Tuesday morning and made arrangements for shifting the couple in an ambulance to the COVID Hospital at Madanapalle.

On the way, the elderly man complained of acute chest pain and breathlessness. Within a few minutes, he breathed his last. Seeing her husband dying, his wife, in a shock, collapsed and died in the ambulance after a couple of minutes.

Government Medical Officer (PTM) Purushottam Naik confirmed the incident. “Age factor and failing health are other reasons for their death,” he said. The medical officer said that in recent months, seven cases were seen in the Madanapalle region, wherein some youngsters, who were asymptomatic to the virus, had fallen seriously sick in a matter of few minutes, after testing positive.

Meanwhile, the revenue officials from Madanapalle along with the task force staff made arrangements for the funeral of the couple at their native village, after informing the tragedy to their kin.