The Health Department is conducting an inquiry into the deaths of patients who were undergoing treatment at the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital on Monday.
Officials said they had received information that two COVID-19 patients had severe lung involvement and died due to COVID-19 related complications.
“These patients were admitted to the COVID-19 isolation wards. There are around 142 patients here that included 10 to 20 persons who had tested negative and were in the step down wards,” an official said. Relatives of the patients alleged that the deaths were caused due to glitches in oxygen supply.
However, the official denied that there was a shortage of oxygen or glitches in supply at the hospital. “The hospital has a 10 KL capacity liquid oxygen tank and another 6 KL tank. There is adequate oxygen at the hospital,” he said. Authorities of the hospital and district officials could not be reached.