The patient who died did not have Covid-19, says the health director

KOTA KINABALU: The woman who died in a hospital here on Wednesday did not have Covid-19 as previously reported by authorities.

Sabah’s health director, Dr. Christina Rundi, said the 63-year-old woman was placed in the isolation room at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital (QEH) after she was suspected of carrying the virus on October 13.

“However, it tested negative on three reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests later,” he said in a statement last night.

Rundi said that was why the hospital had planned to discharge him yesterday.

“The family was informed of the incident by the police. The mental health psychosocial support team has also contacted the family to offer support, ”he said.

The woman’s body was found lying on the hospital lawn after she was said to have fallen from the eighth floor at 9.15 p.m.

The city’s chief of police, Habibi Majinji, had said that early investigations showed that she had been protected since October 13 after testing positive for Covid-19.

Rundi said the hospital will carry out an investigation and take steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

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