Unnatural Death Among Covid-19 Tested Positive Individuals: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introducction:- Covid 19 started out as a fast-spreading viral disease, in Wuhan in 2019. Soon, it spread acrossthe globe and WHO declared it a Pandemic. Various countries took various measures to control its spread andtransmission. By the time, countries recovered from it, a new wave would come along with different expressionsand pathophysiology.When Covid 19 began, various health agencies in India started making protocols and standard ooperatingprocedures including conducting autopsies in COVID-19 infected bodies.Aims and Objectives:- Aim of our study is to analyze cause of death among all covid 19 positive cases broughtfor medicolegal autopsies from the time of lockdown for a period of one year. Our aim is to see if there were anyfactors which could have prevented these deaths.Materials and methods: A retrospective study of 1 year conducted from 25th March 2020 to 24th March 2021,(1st wave of Covid 19) was done in a tertiary care hospital in Bangalore. (Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital)Results: 39 Covid-19-positive unnatural deaths were handled with the youngest being 18 years old and the oldestbeings 83. The majority turned out to be suicides (51.28%), then RTAs, falls, and natural death. The commonestmethod of suicide was hanging (35.89%), followed by poison consumption, and falling from a height.Conclusion: COVID -19 is a viral infection with variable clinical signs and variable fatality rates. There is much tolearn about it. However, suicides in COVID -19 cases might not have ended death if some care, timely diagnosis,and treatment were provided.