A person died while waiting to get tested for COVID-19 in Tirupati on Thursday.
Kattamanchi Sekhar, aged 32, residing in Sapthagiri Nagar locality, was desperately trying to get himself tested for COVID-19, but failed to get a slot. With symptoms of illness, he had reportedly been visiting SVR Ruia Government General Hospital for the last three days. While waiting near the Tirumala link bus stand at Alipiri, he collapsed and breathed his last on Thursday. The onlookers preferred to stay away and none came to his rescue, fearing getting infected.
Reacting to the incident, TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu took to Twitter to ridicule the State’s claim of providing a bed to a patient within half an hour.
Mr. Naidu recalled that the patient had been made to visit the hospital thrice just to give a swab sample, but to no avail. Referring to the anguish and ramarks of the victim’s father that his son would have survived had a hospital bed been allotted on time, Mr. Naidu demanded an answer from the government on the incident.